Stranger on the Street Corner
by allonsy-wolf
Summary: Rose Tyler is running from the government. The Doctor is running from everyone else. What neither of them know is that they are both running from their own inner demons. Two broken people finally find their homes when they find each other. Alternative Universe 10xRose story. Follow Rose and the Doctor in an unexpected love story, where they both find that forgiveness still exists.
1. Chapter One - Browsing

*******THIS IS AU*******

* * *

"Rose Tyler, put your hands in the air!"

Rose complied, winking at the police as she grinned a toothy grin. "Do I have permission to wave them like I just don't care?"

"Freeze!"

Rose sighed, plastering an innocent look on her face. "Now, that I can do."

She stopped moving completely for two seconds while the police advanced on her. Then, with a cheeky grin, she bolted.

If there was one thing Rose Tyler, fugitive, was good at, it was running. She knew London better than she knew herself, and it was easy to track the streets and lose her trail. She smirked, and slowed her pace.

Rose pushed her dyed-red hair out of her face. She hated the color and knew she would re-dye soon. The red had been temporary - a disguise. She also fidgeted with the glasses on her nose. She didn't need them. The specs were purely decoration. She hated them like she hated her hair color. She reached up and took the glasses off, contemplating stomping on them before wiping off her fingerprints and throwing them in a trash bin.

She walked in the shadows for a bit until she found a beauty store that would suite for now. It was open, but only for a little while longer. She stepped in, and wandered through the aisles until she found the temporary dye. She picked up two boxes and then searched through her pockets to make sure she had enough money. She was a fugitive, but she wasn't a criminal.

She quickly paid for her hair dye and left, not wanting to be in one place for too long. She missed having blonde hair. She had dyed her hair blonde before she got mixed in with the wrong crowd. Rose had to admit that she was a little bit excited to have blonde hair again.

She spent the night in a run-down, trashy hotel. It was infested with rats, but she was used to sleeping with worse. Rose dyed her hair, bidding goodbye to her red hair forever. The blonde wasn't perfect - it was barely even tolerable - but it wasn't red and it was close to yellow, and that was all she cared about.

Rose woke up early the next morning and left before the motel manager awoke. She had three possessions in her backpack - a spare change of clothes, a sock of emergency money, and her locket.

It was a simple locket, really, but it meant the world to her. She pressed it to her heart, wishing she could wear it. But it was because of her precious necklace that she was in this mess. Rose sighed and slipped it back in the bag.

At four in the morning, there weren't a lot of people marking about. She considered tracking down her old friend, Jack. She wondered what he'd be like now. It had been a while since she'd seen him. Rose continued walking.

Though there weren't many people lurking about, there were a few. Rose was startled when she actually ran into one.

"M'sorry," she stammered, trying to keep walking.

"Wait, miss, you dropped this."

Rose turned back to the man she bumped in to, and he offered her what she had dropped. Her hand fluttered to her pocket in surprise, checking for what had been there, and then reached for what the man was returning. "My locket," Rose said. "Oh, thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost it..."

The man smiled at her, and for the first time, she noticed how attractive the man was. He was tall and lanky, with spiky hair and pretty brown eyes. She smiled back.

"It's a lovely necklace," he commented.

"Thanks for saving it," Rose said. She looked around, remembering what she was doing before bumping into the pretty boy. He seemed to realize something, too.

"Ah," he said. "Strange man talking to you at four in the morning...not at all creepy."

Rose giggled. "Not even a little bit," she teased.

The man grinned before furrowing his brow. "But tell me, what's a girl doing out in the dark parts of London at four in the morning?"

Rose shifted, opening her mouth but not knowing what to say. Finally, she changed her direction. "What about you?" Rose challenged, grinning. His face looked just as dumbstruck and speechless as Rose felt.

"Well," he said, swallowing. He shoved one hand in his pocket and scratched the back of his neck with the other. "Mostly just, uh...browsing."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Browsing? For what, homeless drunks?"

The man smiled sheepishly. "Caught me."

Rose beamed back. She couldn't help but smile at the strange man. "I've gotta...um..."

"Oh!" the man said, taking a few steps backwards. "Right. Me too. Back to...browsing."

Rose gave him a strange look before turning away. She barely took one step before she turned back around to the man. He grinned at her and she beamed at him. "See ya," she said before she could stop herself. Rose quickly turned and ran down the street, trying to get distance between her and the man.

She didn't even know his name. She had just had a conversation with a strange man, at four in the morning. Rose had been flirting with him, and he had flirted back. She realized she was still smiling and quickly her expression dropped. In only a short amount of time, she had forgotten who she was for a stranger on the street corner.

She could only assume he was a drunk. There was almost no other reason for him to be out on the streets at four am. He was a gentleman, though, and Rose smiled when she thought of his small laugh. Her drunken gentleman. A part of her wondered why he was out at four in the morning, and then she thought of the date.

January the first.

It was a brand new year. Which meant, she had spent a year running. One year and a day ago, Rose had been smitten by a boy named Jimmy Stone. And one year ago today, she had realized her mistakes in being with him.

A part of Rose wondered if fate was playing tricks on her. She had always been a firm believer of fate and destiny. She longed for a kismet love story. Perhaps, the universe had sent the drunken gentleman her way to congratulate her. To show her there were men out there that weren't bastards like Jimmy Stone.

Rose shook her head, trying to shake away the thoughts. Or perhaps, she thought, more logically, some drunk bloke couldn't find his way home from a party he probably didn't even want to go to.

His intentions of why he had persisted a conversation with her could have been questionable. She wondered to herself why he had kept talking to her. She wasn't special, and he was sobering up. She froze in mid-step, and replayed the entire conversation. It dawned on Rose that he might have wanted information from her. She was relieved to realize she hadn't been completely daft, and had kept her information secure.

Rose continued walking, trying to erase the pretty boy from her mind. She was moving on - she wouldn't see him anymore. She had to get out of London. Maybe go back to her old home.

She walked past a graffiti wall, before stopping and glancing back at it. She had walked past this wall several times, and her hand traced over the newest addition to the art-work.

"Bad wolf," she murmured. "Must be a band or something."

**A/N: So! This is my new story. Title will most likely change in the future. This is an AU story of Rose and the Doctor. The Doctor is still a Time Lord, and Rose is still a human, but they meet a different way and she is a different person than on the show, and they have different adventures. Mostly. We will see how this story goes. It might just get deleted. Who knows.**

**ALSO. The reason this was posted today in the middle of the night, is because I realized I haven't posted anything in a while, and the final part of 5 Stages is just NOT HAPPENING for me and I can't write it. So, I found this magic little document on my laptop with a story idea I had a while back and I figured I would post it. So yeah. Story time over.**

**xxxxKat (:**


	2. Chapter Two - Run

Chapter Two

Rose slammed into the wall, panting. She looked around frantically and then took off running again. She didn't know how they found her so fast, but they had and she had been forced to run again.

Rose had tried to visit her mum at the Powell Estates. She knew that the police had long-since stopped looking for her there. She had just barely knocked on her mother's door when she was spotted by a traffic police.

She was lucky that it was hearing twilight, because it was easier to hide in the dark rather than the light. She kept a hand on her pocket to make sure she didn't lose her locket. Rose had been extra cautious since running into that stranger.

Rose glanced back for a brief second to see she was escaped them for a moment. When she turned back around, she almost smacked into a wall. Rose jumped back before finding it wasn't a wall she was running in to.

She reached her hand up to touch the wooden surface, but a sudden yell a few streets over reminded her she was being chased. Rose looked up to see what was in front of her, and then ran around it to find the door.

The door of the mysterious blue box wouldn't budge, even though Rose yanked on it. The yells of police were getting closer, and Rose had nowhere else to hide in this dark alley. She hit the door angrily, and yanked one last time, before the door gave way and opened.

She fell on her bum, surprised by the sudden movement, and then scrambled to her feet and hurried inside. Rose slammed the door behind her and panted, closing her eyes and leaning against the door.

"What?!"

Rose Tyler whipped around, startled, and realized that she had landed herself in a place that was potentially more dangerous than out there. It looked like the set of a sci-fi movie, with a control panel and a domed interior and circular windows on the wall. She looked around for only a second before she remembered what had made her turn around.

Standing by the console was the stranger she had seen the other day. Rose stared at him in shock before she grinned. "Oh, this is brilliant," she murmured. "Who would have guessed you would be a science-fiction geek? Oh, this is fantastic."

"What?!" the man repeated.

"Remember me?" Rose said innocently, grinning a flirtatious smile. She realized she was slightly sticking her tongue out of the corners of her teeth - something she only did when she was amused.

"But that's impossible!" the man spluttered. "I was just here...trying to..."

"Browsing?" Rose finished. He looked at her in shock before looking down shyly. She held back a giggle.

The man suddenly leapt into action, running around the center console and making a lot of noise. "There's no possible way you could have gotten onto my ship - it just isn't possible. That door is locked, always locked, and there are times that even I can't get it! So how did you..."

The man trailed off, and Rose watched as his face dropped in realization.

"Did you do this?" he asked incredulously. Rose was about to answer when she realized he wasn't talking to her. She huffed, irritated, and then walked further into the 'ship'.

"Honestly. This is the second time I've run into you, and I don't even know your name," Rose said. She reached up to fiddle with a button.

"Don't touch that!" the man yelled, and Rose jerked away.

"Is someone a bit sensitive with their nerd stuff?" Rose teased.

The man looked at her, stunned. "Just where exactly do you think you are?"

"Why are you being so rude to me?" Rose retorted back, crossing her arms.

"You're not meant to be here," the man said, turning back to what looked like a computer monitor. "But for some reason, security powered down for long enough to let you in. I can't seem to find out why..."

"If I'm not meant to be here, then maybe I'll just leave," Rose said, growing tired of the man. She no longer saw him as the attractive stranger who could perhaps one day be her friend.

The man looked at her, finally, and Rose noticed that he looked a little afraid. She blinked, and his face changed, turning almost emotionless. She knew better, though. There was sadness in his eyes, a lonely man who was scared.

"Probably best," the man said in a thick voice.

Rose tried not to seem hurt by his words. She turned on her heels and stormed to the door, not even thinking about the police that could be outside. She hesitated at the door, though, and waited for him to say something. When she didn't, she whipped open the door and stepped outside.

She wasn't in the same place she was before, she realized with a start. Rose froze in the doorway, unable to move any further. The man came up behind her, and Rose realized she was holding her breath. "How did we get here?" she finally asked.

"Magic," was the man's reply. Rose turned around to face him, and glared at him angrily.

"Alright, I want some real answers - " she began, but the man cut her off. He spun her around and pointed, and Rose realized that there were mannequins moving straight towards them. "What kind of sick prank is this?!"

The man spun her again, so she was facing him. He took her hand in his and tugged her outside of the mysterious blue box. Rose barely had a second to register that it was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. "I'm the Doctor, by the way," he said quickly. "What's your name?"

"Rose," she said, feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

"Nice to meet you, Rose," the man said. He tugged on her hand and started to walk backwards. "Now run for your life!"

**A/N: I'm going to try and update this one more frequently since the final part of 5 Stages is just absolutely refusing to happen. I'm at such a block. Grrr. Anyway, I do hope you are enjoying this story. Short update, I know, but I'm the author (; I'll update soon.**

**ALSO AND THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.  
I want some cover art for any of my stories, because the ones I have just aren't my favorite ): so, if you feel like this is something you want to do, please PM me because I need covers for any/all of my stories. PLUS once I get a few more chapters into this story, I will be having a contest (: watch for it in the Author's Notes!**

**xxxxxKat**


	3. Chapter Three - Medicine Man

**Chapter Three**

* * *

"Is this what you do, on a daily basis?" Rose asked breathlessly as the Doctor locked the door behind them. She was back in the domed room, in his 'ship', which was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. "You find plastic controlled by other living plastic and then save the world through the London Eye?"

"Well," the Doctor said with a shrug. "Not all the time. Sometimes it's Clom, or Woman Wept. Sometimes even Mars - well, once."

"But you save people," Rose said. "And you're always running?"

"Yep," he said casually, popping the last consonant.

"On your own?"

The Doctor ran to the console, pressing a few buttons, and the mysterious ship whirred and hummed. "That's right. Same old life, last of the- "

Rose waited for him to continue, but he stopped. "The what?" she asked. "Doctor."

"Right, well, best be getting you back home," he said. "You wouldn't want to stay with me anyway, a daft old- "

Again, she waited for him to finish the sentence, but the ending never came. She huffed, irritated. "Don't play games with me. That plastic, that living plastic, it...it yelled at you for not saving its world. And you talk about other planets, the ones you have saved. You aren't human. So stop trying to hide it from me!"

The Doctor turned around to face her. "I'm an alien and that doesn't even bother you?" he asked her, annoyance clear in his voice.

"I've seen a lot worse than you, mate!" Rose retorted. "At least you have humanity! Trying to save planets, trying to save people. Just 'cause you aren't from Earth doesn't mean you're any less of a person. I've met humans who care more about a cuff link than another human's life."

The Doctor stared at her, waiting for her to break. She blinked and folded her arms. "Well? If you're gonna take me home, take me home!"

"Fine," he said.

"Fine!"

He turned back to the console, and Rose's expression softened. She stepped forward, so she leaned against his console. She was only a few feet away from him. "So... this is a space ship, then?"

"More or less," he said, glancing at her before running to the other side to tinker with buttons. She followed slightly.

"Right… Well," Rose said. "How's it bigger on the inside than the outside?"

The Doctor grinned at her, and she almost smiled back. "Time Lord technology."

"Time Lord," Rose repeated. "And that's what you are, yeah?"

The Doctor stopped pressing buttons and looked at her. This strange creature, Rose Tyler as he had learned earlier, was inquisitive and smart. More so than most humans he had met; a bunch of stupid apes this race was, but not Rose. She noticed things, picked up on stuff he'd never notice. She was brilliant.

"Yeah," he finally answered, looking back to the console. He grabbed the screen and pulled it towards him. "This is the right place, right?"

Rose was looking at him, and he stared right back, awaiting her answer. Finally, she swallowed hard and glanced at the screen. "Powell Estate, 2006. That's the place."

"Why are there police all around?" the Doctor asked worriedly.

Rose shrugged casually, but he could see the fear in her eyes. His expression softened, and he put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched slightly.

"Rose, are you in danger if you go out there?" he asked gently.

"No, don't be daft," Rose said, a bit too quickly. She straightened her jacket and then reached for her backpack, slipping it over her shoulders. "They're probably just questioning my mum."

"About what?" the Doctor prompted.

"Oh, I dunno," Rose said breezily. She saluted him lazily and he smiled. "Well, Sir Doctor, it was nice saving the world with you. See you later...perhaps."

He watched her go to the door, and then something inside him began to panic. "You know," he began quickly. Rose withdrew her hand from the door and turned around. "There's a whole lot more to the TARDIS than just this console room."

"TARDIS?" Rose asked, grinning.

"T - A - R - D - I - S," the Doctor stated proudly, pleased to get a chance to explain. "Stands for Time And Relative Dimension in Space."

"Creative," Rose teased.

He grinned back at her, and then scratched the back of his neck. "But, you see...there's a lot of rooms to explore here. And it's not just the better parts of the TARDIS that I could show you. My ship travels everywhere in space. Everywhere and anywhere."

"A real space machine," Rose said breezily. He looked hopefully at her and she smiled. "You're quite the salesman, Doctor. Are you asking me to stay?"

He swallowed. "Well," he began, but Rose cut him off.

"You're asking me if you can show me the universe. You're asking if I'll leave my mum and the only life I've ever known to travel with some stranger in his magic blue box. A stranger that I met on a street corner in the middle of the morning, mind you."

"Is that where I ended up?" he asked out loud. Rose smirked.

"You must think you're pretty charming," she said slightly. He grinned and she smiled back. "But... I've really got to stay with my mum. She needs me... And I've got some...things...that I have to get sorted out - with some old friends and stuff. They need me."

The Doctor nodded, disappointed, and Rose smiled sadly. "Thanks for the offer," she said lightly. "I do hope you find someone, though. You seem happier when you travel with someone. And if that plastic thing was right about a war..."

The Doctor swallowed, and Rose shook her head. "Have a nice life, Doctor."

"I'll see you soon, Rose Tyler," he called as she opened the door and began to step out. She shook her head and smirked.

"I sure hope so," she replied with a wink.

* * *

Rose tapped her foot impatiently as she camped out in front of an abandoned grocery store. She fiddled with the necklace in her pocket as she glanced around. No one was coming. She sighed and grabbed her backpack, planning to walk away.

"Didn't believe it when I said I'd see you soon, did you?"

Rose froze, and nearly dropped her backpack. She turned slowly, and found her stranger grinning at her as he leaned against the wall. She crossed her arms defiantly. "It's been weeks," she said simply. He nodded.

"Hectic weeks for you, I suppose," he said simply, gesturing to her appearance. Rose blushed and scratched at her forehead, where dried blood was beginning to come off. He stepped towards her and peered curiously at her cut. "What happened?"

"Got in a bit of a fight with an old...acquaintance," Rose said. "A bit complicated… I was waiting for medicine when you showed up."

"Lucky for you," he said. "That's me, the Doctor, the medicine man."

"I wasn't waiting for you," Rose said, defending herself. "I was waiting for an old friend, someone who still believes in me-"

"No need to defend yourself, Rose Tyler," the Doctor said, chuckling. "I was only teasing."

"You know, someday someone's gonna tell you to shove it, and you're gonna realize you aren't as clever as you think you are," Rose huffed, putting her hands on her hips.

"Course not!" the Doctor replied cheekily before grinning. "Because I'm more than clever. I'm brilliant!"

Rose smiled, and leaned against the wall. The Doctor situated himself next to her, and Rose laughed quietly to herself.

"Another street corner," she pointed out. He glanced around and nodded.

"You and I seem to have a habit of running into each other," he agreed. "Especially near dark streets and alleys."

"So you weren't following me?" Rose gasped, feigning hurt and betrayal. The Doctor smirked.

"Not this time, Rose," he teased. "Something brought me here, another alien that the Earth needed saving from. I just barely stopped them when I saw you."

"So you figured you'd just come over here and we'd catch up over a cuppa?"

The Doctor turned to face her. "Nah. I came to tell you that my offer still stands."

Rose looked hopefully at him. In all truth, she had begun to regret her decision in not going with him. "Oh, really," she said, teasing. "What makes you think I'll accept?"

"Well, I left out one small detail..." the Doctor said, pausing dramatically, "it's not just a space machine. It also travels anywhere in time."

Rose grinned and slipped her hand into his. He smiled back at the contact, and she pulled him away from the wall. "Well, then, Medicine Man," she said. "Show me the stars."

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the update! I'm very excited about this story. Another round of applause and HUGE thanks to my beta, EdithFinch. I'm going to try and update this story at least once, maybe even twice a week. Please review! You are all fantastic (:**

**xx Kat**


	4. Chapter Four - End of the World

**Chapter Four**

* * *

"So, where are you taking me?" Rose asked, leaning against the railing. The Doctor grinned, and began to press buttons in a pattern that made no sense to Rose.

"We've got all of time and space," he replied, grinning excitedly. "Well, most of it. Can't cross my own timeline, so we'd have to be careful where we end up. Can't risk a paradox... at least not on your first trip. You've got the universe in the palm of your hand, Rose Tyler. We can go anywhere you'd like."

"Surprise me," she said happily, following him around. He grinned, pleased, and the TARDIS jerked. Rose laughed as she stumbled, and he beamed at the sound. "It's not as steady as it was before."

"Oi, don't go off hurting her feelings," the Doctor said, petting the console fondly. "She'll take us somewhere we'd never want to be if you do that."

"Your space-ship is a woman?" Rose asked doubtfully.

"The TARDIS itself is telepathic," the Doctor explained. "It's like..."

"Your time machine is sentient," Rose said simply. She reached up to brush part of the coral beams and the ship hummed beneath the delicate touch of her fingers. Rose grinned. "I think she likes me."

"Yes, well," the Doctor huffed. He straightened his tie. "She's inside your brain, right now. Wiring, connecting, discovering, helping. She's translating words and-"

"She's making your rambling easy to understand?" Rose asked. "Cause, you know...on an ordinary day, what you were just saying would have gone straight over my head. But your ship makes it easier to understand."

"No, no, she's not supposed to do that," the Doctor said, a confused expression on his face. He crossed his arms. "You might be right, Rose Tyler. I think the TARDIS likes you. And I suppose… that might be why she let you in all those weeks ago..."

"Lucky for you," Rose teased. "Can I know where we're going?"

The Doctor grinned. "You want the universe, Rose Tyler? I'll show you the end of the world."

* * *

"The year Five-Billion," Rose said as she stared at the earth. The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to ignore the impulse to grab her hand. "All humans are gone from the earth and the only one that remains is the bitchy trampoline who's preparing for her seven-hundredth operation."

The Doctor have her a small smile. "Some operations go horribly wrong, though," he informed her. "Trust me, I know. I'm a Doctor."

Rose laughed and rolled her eyes. "But just... look at it. The entire human empire, and it's just gone. All the technology, every single advance we made or could have made as a race. We barely even knew there were other species out there. We had so much potential. The humans were like children."

The Doctor stared at Rose, amazed by her outlook. It was almost exactly how he thought, down to every detail. The humans had so much coming for them and they knew so little. He had always thought of them as children. That is, of course, until he met Rose.

"But now they're all gone," Rose said breathlessly. "It's just me and Cassandra, and I'm not even from this time, and she's not even human. She's had it all nipped and tucked and cut away. How could so much potential just be wiped away like that?"

The Doctor finally stopped fighting with himself and reached for her hand. She smiled slightly at the contact.

"My mum's dead," Rose said suddenly. Her grip tightened on the Doctor's hand at the thought. "The end of the world, and the whole human race is gone. That means my mum, my old mates Mickey and Shareen... all of them. They're gone."

The Doctor squeezed Rose's hand reassuringly. "But not really, I suppose," she mumbled. "Cause time isn't like that. This is happening right now just as much as 2006 is happening right now, right?"

"What?" the Doctor asked, shocked. The human girl chuckled softly.

"We've just travelled through time and space," she said. "It's obvious that time can't be a straight line. There's no way. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to go back. Time has to be like a big ball of confusing twists and turns, always running over itself and changing, and-"

"I got it, I got it," the Doctor huffed. He wasn't sure how he felt about someone being just as clever as him. "You're brilliant. I understand."

"Don't sound so disappointed!" She laughed. He beamed at her.

"Rose Tyler, you could never disappoint me," he said enthusiastically. "You just continue to surprise me!"

"Me and surprises, a package deal," she replied cheekily. "Alright, well. Let's go make sure no one's getting into any trouble. With you on board, who knows what to expect?"

"Oi, I'm not-" the Doctor began, but Rose's laugh cut him off.

"You know it's true," she teased happily.

* * *

"Earth death in five minutes," the overhead announced. Rose swallowed hard and the Doctor looked at her sympathetically.

"I shouldn't have brought you here," he murmured, stepping closer to her. She shook her head and stepped away again. The Doctor cleared his throat. "You're just barely adjusting to time and space, and I brought you to see your planet explode. Brilliant, I am. A real charmer."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Rose said lightly, poking his chest. He smiled. "It's just a bit to take in. It's sure better than Feldspoon."

"What's wrong with Feldspoon?" the Doctor asked defensively. "It's a lovely planet-"

"Have you visited Feldspoon recently?"

Both the Doctor and Rose turned to see who was asked. Jabe, the tree woman, looked inquisitively at the both of them. "I was under the impression that the planet Feldspoon perished one million years ago."

"Well," the Doctor said, clearing his throat. "Guess it wasn't that recent, eh, Rose? When you live for three million years, it all just sort of blends together."

Jabe continued to look at them skeptically until the Steward asked for their attention. "I must return," she said apologetically. "Thank you for your time."

The Doctor watched as she walked away, and Rose turned to stare at him. "You're three million years old?" she asked, shocked. The Doctor laughed.

"Time Lords don't live quite that long, I'm afraid," he informed her. Rose looked relieved. "I'm only nine-hundred-and-three."

Rose stared at him, wide-eyed, before he directed her attention to the earth.

"Earth death in ten, nine, eight, seven, six," the overhead began. Rose sucked in a deep breath and the Doctor automatically stepped closer to her, grabbing her hand again.

"Oh, God, it's happening," she mumbled.

He squeezed her hand. "Come with me," he said, taking her away from the observation deck and back towards the TARDIS. She followed numbly, watching as her home planet was roasted. He pulled her into the TARDIS and sat her down on the jump seat before moving into action. She watched curiously as he tinkered around the console, pressing buttons and pulling levers and yelling at the ship to behave.

"What are you doing?" She asked softly. The Doctor smiled at her.

The TARDIS settled down and came to a stop, and the Doctor reached for Rose's hand once more. Their fingers intertwined easily, as though they had done it a million times before, and she let him pull her up. A part of her was afraid for whatever was on the other side of that door. But something told Rose that as long as the Doctor's hand was in hers, she'd be safe.

He led her outside the doors and then gestured around them. "Here we are," he said proudly.

Rose blinked, trying to take in the sight around her. The Doctor had returned her to London, 2006. People were bustling around them, moving forward and backward and yelling and whispering. Everything was so busy and loud, and Rose couldn't believe that it would all be gone one day.

"I saw the end," she said as she watched a couple walk by, obviously in love. Her heart broke as she realized that human love would be lost in the future, too. "I saw the end of my planet."

The Doctor squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I watched my planet burn," he said quietly. Rose looked at him, knowing there was more, but knowing he wouldn't tell her… not yet. "You think it'll last forever, but it doesn't. One day, it'll just be gone."

"You watched a war go by, didn't you?" Rose said gently. He looked at her and took a deep breath.

"Yeah," the Doctor said in a thick voice. He cleared his throat and then grinned. "But that's all in the past. Let's move forward, yeah? You've seen Feldspoon and the end of the Earth today. Quite a lot to take in. What do you want to see now?"

Rose took a deep breath and grinned. "Honestly? I just want some chips."

The Doctor laughed. "Now, that I can do."

"Oh, so you'll pay for them, then?" Rose asked, teasing. He smiled back at her before his grin faltered.

"I haven't got any money," he began, but her laugh cut him off.

"Come on, then, tight wad," Rose laughed, pulling him forward. "What kind of date are you? Making the lady pay. It's a good thing we've got five billions years till the shops close- you owe me!"

The Doctor grinned. "Rose Tyler, I'm so glad I met you."

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Another update. You guys are spoiled (; hehe. Another semi-calm chapter before Rose and the Doctor find themselves in trouble... Spoilers! Next update should be up by Wednesday at the latest (:**

**Also, a huge thanks to my beta, EdithFinch. She's brilliant. **

**You guys are incredible! Please keep favoriting, and following, and reviewing, and check out my other stories^.^**

**Much love,**

**xxx Kat**


	5. Chapter Five - Lupum Latrata Malum

**Chapter Five**

* * *

"Well, this'll do as your bedroom, won't it?" the Doctor asked, opening the door. Rose stepped in and gasping at the sight of the room before her.

The room was domed, like the console room of the TARDIS. The walls were ever-changing, showing images of constellations and galaxies and supernovas. The floor was a blue hardwood, the same color as the exterior of the ship. There was a large black dresser with empty picture frames on the west side of the room, and on the east, by the door where they stood, was a blue desk with notebooks and pencils and more picture frames. On the opposite side of the door was a large bookcase, filled from top to bottom with all kinds of books. The north wall of the room was home to two doors, which- as the Doctor explained -led to her closet and bathroom. Finally, pressed against the south wall, was a queen-size four-poster bed. White curtains hung from the posts, and the bedspread was pink and yellow- similar to the one she had used at the Powell Estate.

Rose dropped her backpack and covered her mouth with her hands. The Doctor scratched the back of his neck, trying to read her expression.

"It's not the biggest room," he said quickly. "There are other ones if you don't want this one. Or, you and the TARDIS could design one. She seems to like you enough that she'd give you anything. The bathroom and the wardrobe are the largest on the ship, though, and I thought maybe you'd like that bit. We can move you anywhere you'd like-"

"Doctor," Rose cut him off before he could say anything else. He stopped talking and she turned to face him. She moved her hands and grinned at him. "This is brilliant... I mean, this is… It's incredible."

The Doctor grinned back. "Knew you'd love it!" he said. "Now, you can go ahead and get yourself settled in. Spend some time in the wardrobe- the TARDIS will give you anything you want to wear. Actually, the TARDIS will give you anything you ask for... as long as I haven't banned it."

Rose beamed, then turned to look at him with a devilish grin. "So, do you have a room, Doctor?"

The Doctor blushed and stepped outside of her bedroom, beginning to close the door behind him. "You certainly aren't finding out." _Yet_, he wanted to add. He scolded himself internally for even thinking about it.

* * *

"Where are we going today?"

The Doctor looked up from the monitor to see Rose staring at him with a grin. He smiled back, wondering how she had snuck up on him. He pointed to the monitor. "How do you feel about saving the world?"

She skipped over to him and looked at the screen. "Let's see... 'Please help. I'm scared. Please help,'" she read aloud. Rose peered at the Doctor. "Who needs help?"

"From what I've gathered, a little girl," he replied, pulling the monitor back towards him. He began to press buttons, sending the ship in the direction of the child. He grinned at Rose. "Go get dressed, Rose. We're going to Lupum Latratu Malum!"

"What's that?" Rose asked, catching his excitement immediately. The Doctor shrugged.

"Some planet I've never been to. Now, we've got a little girl to save! Allons-y!"

* * *

"There," Rose said, pointing. The Doctor followed her direction and found a small girl, sitting in the corner with her hands covering her face. "Oh, she's crying."

Rose carefully walked over to the girl and sat down next to her. The girl hiccupped and tried to move away, but Rose spoke gently to keep her there.

"You don't need to be afraid," she said softly, and the small girl looked at her with wide hazel eyes. Rose gave the girl a small smile. "I'm sad, too."

"Why are you sad?" the girl asked immediately. Rose detected a Scottish accent and sighed, leaning against the wall.

"The better question is: why are you sad?" The girl looked down at the floor as more tears threatened to fall down her face.

"I've lost my mum and dad and I'm in a scary place," the girl said in a quivering voice. "I don't know how I got here. I think I was kidnapped."

Rose kept her expression steady, and the Doctor watched her silently, almost hiding from them. "Really?" Rose asked, trying to sound relieved. "I think I've been kidnapped, too."

The girl giggled and wiped away a tear. "But you're an adult," she said. Rose shrugged.

"Then I've been adult-napped," she said seriously. "My friend and I have. Do you see him? Over there?"

Rose pointed at the Doctor and the little girl followed her finger. The Doctor stood and waved slightly. "He's very shy, so he told me to come talk to you," Rose explained. The little girl giggled again. "I'm Rose, and that man there is the Doctor. What's your name?"

The child looked down at the floor again, not answering. Rose offered her one of her hands, and the little girl stared at it before taking it sheepishly. "Roses are my favorite flower," the little girl said.

"They're mine, too," Rose replied. The girl smiled a crooked grin. She was missing one front tooth. Rose gasped playfully. "You're missing teeth!"

The child beamed proudly. "Yeah, I lost it two nights ago."

"We need to find it," Rose said in a serious voice, and the girl shrieked with laughter.

"No, silly, the Tooth Fairy already has it!" the girl said. Rose grinned in relief.

"Oh, good," she sighed.

The Doctor watched contently from the side. He didn't know why he was so surprised that Rose was fantastic with children, he should have expected it from her. Still, it secretly pleased him that she had earned the child's trust so easily.

His thoughts were broken when he noticed Rose and the girl walking towards him, hand-in-hand. The girl waved and smiled, and the Doctor grinned back, crouching down to her level.

"Hello, human," he said. The girl giggled.

"Hello, human," she replied. Rose stifled a laugh and the Doctor winked. He offered her his hand, and the little girl shook it with her free one.

"This is Amelia Pond, she's five years old, and she's going to help us save Lupum Latratu Malum."

Amelia beamed proudly, and the Doctor sighed, as if relieved. "Pleasure to have you aboard, Amelia," he said. "Rose and I were worried our plan would fail. With you, everything is sure to go as planned."

* * *

"Amelia, in order for our secret plan to work, we need you to tell us who kidnapped you," the Doctor said. Amelia looked accusingly at him.

"Rose said you were kidnapped, too," she said, doubt becoming clear in her voice.

Rose squeezed Amelia's hand reassuringly. "We just need to make sure it's the same person, 'cause if you were kidnapped by someone other than us, we'll have two nutters to be chasing after."

Amelia nodded in understanding, but didn't speak a word. Rose sat down on a bench and Amelia clambered up into her lap, resting her head on Rose's chest. Rose's free hand went up to run her fingers through Amelia's hair. The Doctor sat down next to them, and Amelia grabbed his hand with her free one. The Doctor beamed at her, and squeezed the little girl's hand slightly.

"He was big," Amelia explained. "He was really tall and big. Oh, and he was strong. He held me in one arm and climbed with his other one. And he was... he was really hairy."

"Hairy," the Doctor repeated. He ran his thumb over Amelia's fingers, and she clung to his hand as tightly as she held onto Rose's. "Sounds familiar... can you describe anything else?"

Amelia sucked in a deep breath and cuddled closer with Rose. "He had yellow eyes," the child whispered. Rose kissed the top of her head and then resumed combing through the young girl's hair, hoping it would calm her down. "His teeth were kind of pointy."

"Did he look human?" Rose asked softly. The Doctor nodded at her, proving she had asked the right question.

"Mostly," Amelia swallowed. "He kind of looked like a wolf-person."

Rose looked up at the Doctor at the same time he looked at her. She grinned, unable to mask her excitement, and the Doctor took a deep breath, before turning back to Amelia. He squeezed the little girl's hand very gently. "That sounds like who took us," he told her. Amelia looked relieved. "Now, before we start our mission, we have to make sure we're ready- which means we can't be hungry or thirsty. Are you hungry?"

Amelia looked around the building where they had been sitting. "The shops are closed," Amelia told him. The Doctor laughed.

"Oh, Amelia, nothing is ever closed for me," he said with a wink. He dropped her hand and then picked her off of Rose's lap, placing her on the ground. "Stick with me, and you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want."

Amelia grinned her crooked grin, and reached for the Doctor's hand again. He took it, and then turned back to look at Rose. "Come on, then," he said. "We haven't got all day."

Rose smirked and stood up, taking Amelia's free hand. Together, the three of them walked towards the shops. Rose looked at the Doctor, and he glanced back at her.

"A werewolf?" she mouthed. The Doctor grinned, allowing his excitement to show.

"Could be," he mouthed back. Rose beamed at him before looking down at Amelia. She squeezed her hand, and Amelia looked up at Rose.

"This will be fun," Rose promised her.

* * *

**A/N: So I wasn't going to post this until tomorrow, but then I rewatched Water on Mars and spent the entire hour crying my eyes out and eating ice cream. So, I needed consolation, and I thought, "Hey, even if I'm crying, maybe I can make my readers not cry by posting this chapter." So thank my emotional feels and David Tennant's brilliant acting to this update. Now, if you'll excuse me, my mascara has smeared and I must fix it, because I have important things to attend to tonight and showing up with smeared mascara and emotional rants is not the way I roll.**

**ALSO, very quickly, HUGE thanks to my beta, EdithFinch. She's awesome (:**

**Much love,**

**xxxKat**


	6. Chapter Six - Bondage

This chapter is dedicated to **Remus' daughter**, as an early birthday present, because she is a fantastic little cyber-buddy. Happy Early Birthday!

* * *

**Chapter Six**

"What's your plan?" Amelia asked, swinging their hands back and forth.

"Well," the Doctor began. "It's... quite complicated."

Rose smirked. "Don't listen to him, Amelia. His plans tend to be fairly simple and infinitely stupid."

"Oi," the Doctor whined. "I'm brilliant, and you know it."

Rose grinned at him, sticking her tongue between her teeth. She opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by Amelia's screams.

"Run!" Rose cried.

She scooped Amelia up into her arms and began to run. Glancing behind her, she saw a tall man coming their way. His face was hairy, and growing hairier the longer she stared at him. Amelia began to cry, and Rose turned around and tried to run faster.

The Doctor stayed close to them, pulling out his sonic screwdriver to scan the man chasing them. "No readings?" he said incredulously. He shoved the screwdriver back into his pocket.

Rose stumbled, and Amelia slipped out of her arms. Rose tried to get her, but the man slammed into her, and Rose fell across the floor.

"Rose!" the Doctor yelled. He turned to the man, who was slowly turning into a beast, and stepped towards him. He could barely open his mouth before the werewolf hit him with a giant paw and rendered him unconscious.

* * *

"Doctor!"

The Doctor's head snapped up, and immediately his arms reached for Rose. They stuck in place, though, no matter how hard he pulled, and he looked around to figure out what was restraining him.

He was chained to the wall.

The Doctor whipped back around, searching for Rose but unable to find her. "Rose!" he yelled into the darkness. He heard the distinct rattling of chains and then a small cry of pain. The Doctor strained against the iron once again. "Rose!"

"Doctor, where are you?" Rose shouted.

He yanked on the chains before giving up and collapsing in a heap on the floor. "I'm chained to a wall," he yelled, rattling the chains to prove his point. Rose giggled slightly.

"Me too," she called. He heard her chains shake, too. "Only the second date and we're already bound to things."

"Don't get carried away, Rose Tyler," the Doctor said, blushing. He couldn't help but let his mind wander for a moment. Snapping back to attention, he looked around. "Where's Amelia?"

Rose snorted, and the sound echoed through the stone room. "That's funny."

The Doctor frowned, before realizing Rose couldn't see him. "Honestly, though, where is she?"

Rose was silent for several moments. When she spoke, her voice was pained. "You honestly don't remember?"

The Doctor swallowed, fear clenching at his veins as every possibility of what could have happened raced through his mind in a nanosecond. "Where is she?" he asked again, his voice thick. The Doctor had grown to care for Amelia. She was just a little girl, who needed his protection.

Rose was silent again, giving the Doctor more time to think of what could have happened to his little friend. He was beginning to panic, yanking against the chains violently, when Rose finally spoke.

"He took her."

The Doctor stopped moving immediately, shocked. "Who?" the Doctor snarled.

"How could you forget?" Rose muttered, before raising her voice. "The werewolf. He took Amelia and began to run off before he came back and scratched me and then knocked you unconscious."

The Doctor felt anger surge through his body, and soon he was trembling. The werewolf had not only kidnapped a little girl, but he had injured his best friend. He took a deep breath, and then spoke in a low, threatening voice. "I had a name, Rose, a nickname," he said. "I was an ancient legend on planets near and far. People everywhere knew this name. Do you know what they called me?"

He waited for Rose's response, a reply that would never come. Finally, the Doctor continued. "They called me the Oncoming Storm."

With one violent lurch, the Doctor moved his hands towards his jacket, grabbing his sonic screwdriver. He stood up, turning the screwdriver to the locks, and freed himself. The chains clattered to the floor and the Doctor kicked them away.

"Marco!" he yelled, feeling down the wall to find Rose.

"Polo!" she answered immediately. He heard her stand and rattle the chains. He followed the noise and the vibrations on the wall until he found her. She grinned when he came into the light. The Doctor quickly freed her, and Rose threw her arms around him.

"Where did it scratch you?" he asked, his face showing his concern. Rose held up her forearm, showing him the scratch: a mess of blood and torn flesh that was at least three inches in length. He scanned it with his screwdriver and read the results.

"You weren't infected," he said in relief. He hugged her again. Rose rubbed her wrists after the Doctor released her, and it reminded him of his anger. He reached for her hand and began to pull her along.

"We're going to find Amelia, we're going to destroy the werewolf, we're going to save this planet, and we are going to return Amelia safe and sound to her family!" the Doctor growled. Rose didn't say a word, knowing anything she said could upset him more.

The Doctor traced the werewolf through his sonic screwdriver. They only stopped once, so Rose could pick up a discarded, empty gun, and then soon he and Rose burst into a chamber that closely resembled a throne room. His eyes fell automatically on Amelia, who was tied to a chair.

"Rose!" Amelia shrieked, struggling against the ropes. Rose cried out and dropped the Doctor's hand, rushing to Amelia. She was only a foot away when a low snarl distracted her.

"Rose, duck!" the Doctor shouted, chasing after her. Rose screamed and crouched down, avoiding the beast's paw. Amelia began to cry, and Rose scrambled away from the wolf.

It was large in stature, nearly seven feet tall. Its face was grotesque, wolfish with a bit of human thrown in. Its eyes were cold and yellow, and its body was long and muscular, and covered in short grey hairs.

The Doctor grabbed a sword from a nearby statue of armor next to him and smacked it against the stone wall, creating an ear-splitting sound. The wolf howled and looked at the Doctor, changing its target in a matter of seconds.

"Come and get it!" The Doctor yelled. "There's a lot more fight in me! Much more exciting, a bit of a chase. More manly than them, you don't want them!"

The beast snarled and bent down on all fours, stepping closer to the Doctor. Rose crawled to Amelia and began to untie the crying girl.

"What's your plan, anyway, why do you want a little girl?" the Doctor asked, slamming the sword against the wall once again. The wolf howled and covered its ears with its giant paws. "Tell me!"

The beast made a sound like gurgling before a scratchy voice made its way out of the throat. "She is the key," the wolf growled.

"The key to what?" the Doctor pushed.

"Immortality," the beast howled, standing on its legs to lunge at the Doctor.

"No!" Rose shouted, reaching for her pocket. She pulled out the empty gun that she had found in the hall. Amelia screamed and covered her face with her hands. The Doctor hit the wall again with the sword, and the wolf recoiled automatically.

"I'm not done talking to you!" The Doctor snarled. "You hurt two people that I care about, and that makes me very dangerous."

Rose took Amelia's hand and whispered a plan into her ear. Amelia nodded, and soon she and Rose set to work, both watching the Doctor and the wolf in fear.

The beast growled, and then continued to speak. "The legend prophesied of the fiery-haired girl and her fiesty companions," the wolf said in its low, gravelly tone. "The prophesy could not be completed unless all were here - the Fire Girl, the Medicine Man, and the Bad Wolf."

"How do we make you immortal, how does it all work?" the Doctor yelled.

"The three must be sacrificed," the wolf snarled.

"You have to sacrifice yourself?" The Doctor asked doubtfully. "How does that make you immortal?"

The wolf growled and then lunged at the Doctor. Rose screamed and Amelia threw Rose the crude silver bullet they had been creating while the Doctor fought the beast. Rose yelped as the hot metal touched her hand, and then shoved it into the gun. Shaking slightly in fear of missing her target, she shot the werewolf in the heart.

All fell silent as the beast fell to the floor. The Doctor dropped the sword and ran to Rose, wrapping her in a hug. She sighed, breathing in his scent, and then broke away from him to grab Amelia. All three of them turned to look at the beast as it died.

Its face grew more human, and its eyes less cold. It looked directly at Rose. "I see a wolf in you," the monster spluttered out, coughing. "A fire and a vengeance that's waiting to break free. It won't be long, Wolf Girl, before your true nature reveals itself to the moon and stars. Everyone will see you as you truly are."

Fear gripped Rose's heart, and the Doctor pulled her into his arms automatically, shielding her and Amelia from the wolf's final moments. The beast's final words had scared the Doctor as well, but he vowed to protect his companions.

"Come on," he prodded them gently. "Let's get Amelia back home."

* * *

**A/N: I UPLOADED. I wasn't going to. But then I did. What do you guys think about Amy being in the story? I've already gotten like three panicked PMs - those made me grin. Do you want her to come back in later chapters? Mwuahaha. AND Bad Wolf being in the story. Hehehe. What's the Doctor gonna do when the Bad Wolf appears? Hehe.**

**Much love,**

**xxxKat**


	7. Chapter Seven - Pleasant Distractions

The TARDIS tumbled lightly, entering its final stages of turbulence, and finally landing with a dull hum. "We're here," the Doctor said quietly to Rose. She looked over to Amelia, who was fast asleep on the jump-seat. The little girl's clothes were torn, and dried blood covered her arms and face. Rose gently picked the sleeping child up, cradling her gently. She nodded to the Doctor, and slowly they made their way out of the TARDIS and towards the front door of the house by which they landed.

Rose shook Amelia softly, waking her. Amelia stirred, but only cuddled closer into Rose's side. She kissed the top of Amelia's head, as if it would protect her, and then turned to the Doctor.

They knocked lightly, and a woman of about thirty opened the door. She regarded them with tired eyes before her gaze fell on Amelia and she gasped. "Amelia!" The woman cried. Amelia raised her head at the voice, her eyes quickly finding the woman.

"Aunt Shy," Amelia shrieked, reaching for her aunt. Shy took Amelia easily, crushing the little girl into a hug and holding her as close as possible.

"Oh, Amelia, you've been missing for days," Aunt Shy murmured, silent tears creeping down her cheeks. Amelia clung to her aunt, relieved for a pair of familiar arms. "Where have you been? Why are your clothes ragged? Are you… Amelia, are you bleeding?"

Rose stepped forward. "Ah, miss, Amelia is actually quite tired," Rose said softly. "Maybe you could put her down to bed and my friend and I can explain what happened?"

Aunt Shy looked them over again, taking in their bloody and bruised bodies, ripped clothes, and wild eyes. She finally nodded, stepping back to welcome them into her home. "Thank you," the Doctor said kindly. He reached for Rose's hand, squeezing it to reassure her.

"Come on, Amy, it's off to bed," Aunt Shy murmured.

"Rose," Amelia cried, shifting in her aunt's arms. "Rose!"

Shy quickly put Amelia down, surprised when she ran straight to Rose. Rose crouched down and caught Amelia as the young girl flew into her arms. Rose wrapped her arms around the small frame tightly. Aunt Shy looked startled at the exchange, but it was clear that she was relieved Amelia was safe.

"Oh, Amelia," Rose said, stroking the little girl's hair. "You were so brave. So incredibly brave, and strong. You are the bravest person I've ever met."

"I love you," Amelia whispered into Rose's hair. Her grip tightened on Amelia.

It didn't matter that Rose had only known the five year old for less than twenty-four hours. It didn't matter that she would most likely never see Amelia again. Rose loved the little girl, and she would always fight to protect her.

"I love you, too," she whispered back.

Amelia let go of Rose, satisfied, and took her aunt's hand. Shy led her to her room, where the little girl would get some much needed sleep. Rose turned to the Doctor, and he smiled slightly at her.

"Shut up," Rose said, wiping away a single tear. "You loved her, too."

"Oh, yes," the Doctor agreed. "Amelia Pond. I won't be forgetting her any time soon."

* * *

"Okay," Shy said tiredly. "Can you please explain to me why my little girl looked like she was coming home from the battlefield?"

The Doctor flinched slightly, and Rose's grip tightened on his hand. They couldn't tell Shy the truth, but they could try to get as close as possible.

"Someone kidnapped Amelia," Rose said gently. Shy gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. Rose winced. "We were...investigating other chain kidnappings when we found the suspect's hideout. When we got there, he had Amelia tied to a chair but otherwise unharmed. He was in..."

"The woods," the Doctor finished for her, noticing her hesitation. Rose smiled thankfully at him. Aunt Shy looked startled. "His hideout was in a remote forest. While we were trying to take him down, Amelia tried to escape and got lost in the woods."

"Oh, Amelia," Shy cried as tears filled her eyes.

"There were some...wolves," the Doctor said lamely. Rose nearly elbowed him. "They caught her scent and tried to chase after her. One had caught her when Rose appeared. She had seen Amelia run off, and had chased after her. She scared the wolves away and saved us all. She shot it right in the heart. Brilliant, it was."

Rose smiled, and Shy reached forward the grab her hand. "You saved Amelia's life," Shy said. "How can I ever repay you?"

Rose glanced at the Doctor, and he nodded slightly. She kissed Shy's hands and then stood up. "Don't tell anyone we were ever here," Rose said. "You can tell the police that someone dropped Amelia off and left, but we need to stay under the radar."

"Thank you so much," Aunt Shy said, enveloping the both of them in hugs. As the two left, Rose glanced up at Amelia's window, where the young girl watched them walk away. Rose saw tears glistening in Amelia's eyes, and she felt her eyes begin to water as well.

* * *

The Doctor immediately took her to the medical bay, where he began to scan her for anything awry. He was worried beyond relief, and it was something he wasn't used to feeling.

Rose sat in silence as he bandaged up her arm. He moved away from her after that, grabbing a bowl of hot water and a rag.

"What did he mean?" Rose asked quietly. The Doctor looked up at her.

"What did who mean?".

Rose swallowed. "The werewolf. He said he saw a wolf in me. He said I'd reveal my true nature for everyone to see."

"What's so bad about that?" The Doctor asked lightly. He reached for her arm and began to gently scrub off the dried blood. "It's not like your true nature is dark. Oh, everybody run, Rose is showing her compassion and bravery!"

Rose elbowed him and he grinned lazily at her. "Doctor," she tried again, "he said he saw fire and vengeance in me. He said everybody would see who I truly am."

"And what are you truly?" The Doctor asked. Rose winced, and he pulled back the rag, believing he had hurt her with his scrubbing and not his words. "Sorry."

Rose just shook her head.

"I'll tell you who you are truly," he hummed. "You are a strong and compassionate woman, brave and clever and brilliant. I'd be lost without you. You care so much about people and humanity. I've only known you for a short time, Rose Tyler, but I know exactly who you are."

Rose looked down, guilt gnawing at her thoughts. She knew he didn't know her, and he would never know who she truly was. The Doctor pulled the rag away from her arm again, dipping it in the water. With his free hand, he gently grabbed her chin and tilted her head up.

"Hey," he said softly. He reached up with the rag and wiped blood off her temple slowly and gently. "The wolf was lying. It just wanted to get inside your head. In its final moments, it was so consumed with evil that it wasted its last seconds on earth trying to terrify a brilliant, clever girl."

Rose hiccupped, and the Doctor wiped away the last of the dried blood. He leaned forward carefully, afraid, and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Don't let it get to you," he murmured gently. Rose looked at him with wide eyes, and he pulled away and dropped the rag in the bowl before whisking it away. "Well! Time to change. These clothes just won't suffice. A shame, too, I really liked this suit."

Rose smiled, both relieved and disappointed that he was back to his normal self. She jumped off the table and left the med bay, going to her room.

She still couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong.

* * *

The Doctor was bouncing around the TARDIS, enthusiastic as ever, but he was noticing that Rose wasn't catching onto his excitement. He knew she was still shaken up about the werewolf experience, and part of him felt guilty. Here he was, offering her the entire universe, and instead he showed her the end of her world and nearly got her killed- twice.

The Doctor knew he could distract her, though. He could take her to the planet Midnight, but somehow he wasn't sure she'd enjoy that quite yet. He could take her to the Eye of Orion, but the thought of going there made his stomach churn.

Rose watched him curiously as he ran around the TARDIS, talking sweet nothings about alien races and far-off places. Suddenly, the Doctor stopped in his tracks, and grinned wildly at Rose.

"Oh, I know just where to go," he yelled excitedly. He picked up a mallet and began banging on the console before dropping it and pulling a lever. He looked at Rose, thrilled. "Stand up, off you go! Change into something fancy."

"Where are we going?" Rose asked, standing up. The Doctor winked at her.

"Wear something fancy," the Doctor said, turning a wheel on the console. Rose smiled, glad for a small distraction, and left down the corridor.

When she returned, she was wearing a floor-length green gown that hugged her in all the right places. Over her shoulders was a silver wrap, and she wore matching heels. Her hair was curled and pulled back, and a few tendrils grazed her face. The Doctor looked at her in shock.

"Blimey," he mumbled.

Rose smiled and then shifted, self-conscious. "Now, don't laugh!" she giggled. She felt like a child playing dress-up. She laughed slightly, but the Doctor's next words caught her off guard.

"You look beautiful," he said. Rose stared at him in surprise, and the Doctor blushed, looking away. He wanted to add to that statement, make it seem like he wasn't completely baffled by how amazing he looked. _Considering_, he could say, _that you're human_. But this was Rose, and she deserved to feel like she was stunning, and he wanted her to know she amazed him. So he bit back the comment and said instead, "Right, then. Off we go!"

"Aren't you going to change?" Rose asked.

"Twice in one day?" He replied incredulously. "That's absurd. Besides, I'm in a suit."

Rose smiled and he reached for her hand, entwining their fingers easily. He pulled her outside the TARDIS, where the sight before her took her breath away.

It was night, but the sky wasn't black. It was bursting with pinks and purples and yellows, all dancing together in a magical array of stars and lights. They had landed on a hill, that was covered in light-blue grass and scattered violet wildflowers. There were mountains in the distance, blackened by the night sky, that towered taller than any other mountains and shone like diamonds. It was all so colorful, yet filled with a mysterious darkness at the same time. Rose fell in love with the view.

"It's beautiful," Rose said breathlessly. The Doctor squeezed her hand.

"It's not why we're here," he whispered, leading her down the hill. Rose looked down as they walked, and saw a beautiful village at the bottom of the hill, where the homes and shops glittered like gems. At the edge of the village were towers, beautiful azure towers, that Rose could have sworn were humming.

"Doctor," she said, amazed.

"Rose Tyler, welcome to the Singing Towers of Darillium."

She leaned on his shoulder, surprised when tears filled her eyes. "It's beautiful," she whispered again. They stood there in silence, watching the colors dance in the sky and listening to the beautiful song. Finally, Rose pulled away from him. "Dance with me, Doctor?"

"Rose," the Doctor began, before stopping himself. She looked beautiful, he realized, and she was happy. He didn't need to ruin it by denying her. The Doctor even had to admit that he wanted desperately to dance with her.

"The world doesn't end if the Doctor dances," she said softly. The Doctor smiled at her, and cautiously put one hand on her waist, and the other in her hand. She placed her free hand on his shoulder, and slowly they swayed to the song of the Towers, perfectly content in each other's arms. As the Towers sang a song for the strange, traveling pair, they both knew it wasn't just the view that they'd fall in love with tonight.

Rose rested her head on his chest, and he tightened his grip around her waist. The Doctor kissed the top of her forehead, his hearts aching as he longed to kiss more of her. Rose felt his two heartbeats against her cheek, beginning to beat more rapidly. She sighed, and wished on every single star in the beautiful sky that one day, they could be together.

"Rose?" The Doctor breathed gently. She lifted her head, moving away from him slightly. She was still merely inches away from his face.

"Yes, Doctor?" She whispered. His eyes softened, and Rose took shaky breaths. He swallowed, knowing perfectly well that he could lean in and kiss her right then. His breath hitched at that thought. She leaned forward and he was ready to capture her lips with his own. He found himself leaning down, and he quickly pulled away and looked at the Towers.

"This is the best part," he said softly. He heard Rose take a sharp breath, sounding almost hurt, and he dared to look at her. She was staring at the Towers, her expression completely steady. "At midnight, the Towers light up."

And slowly, he began to count down the seconds, so quietly that she could barely hear him. She stepped closer to him, hugging him tightly, and he whispered the final seconds in her ear.

"One," he said, and then the colors changed. The azure Towers began glowing, faintly at first, before shining bright in some places and fading or shimmering in a different place. It threw off deep greens and yellows and blues, before changing colors dramatically and showing patterns of reds and pinks and purples. The whole thing lasted only a minute.

Rose was silent in his arms, and he realized she had been holding her breath. She looked at him in awe, and whispered, "That was incredible."

He could explain to her why the Towers did that, and why it only lasted for exactly one minute. He could babble aimlessly for a moment or two, explaining things she's never remember. But the Doctor knew it would shatter this beautiful moment, so instead, all he said was, "Oh, yes."

* * *

**A/N: Fluff chapter! Yay (: Mwuahaha (: The next update might not happen for a while. Might happen tomorrow. Who knows? Life happens. Ugh. Anyway, if I can get some lovely, lovely reviews, I promise to try and update quicker! (:**

**Much love,**

**xx Kat**


	8. Chapter Eight - Chips and Nightmares

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

_Darkness loomed in every corner. It was a maze of never-ending turns, and it was slowly caving in. Rose ran, panting, through the cold metal walls, searching for a light and running from her demons. The noise engulfed her, and she could feel the damp metal on her skin._

_"Rose!"_

_She pushed her legs faster, changing her destination from freedom to the voice that needed help. It was only a matter of seconds before she found the person screaming. Her best friend, Shareen, was leaning against a metal wall, cradling a small bundle in her arms, and sobs racking her body. Red splattered the walls and the floor around Shareen, and Rose's heart stopped cold at the sight._

_"You killed him," Shareen sobbed, rocking the bundle in her arms. Rose's stomach sank, and she was sure she could feel bile at the back of her throat. Rose fell to her knees, reaching for the bundle. Shareen passed it over in disgust, and Rose moved the top of the blanket to reveal a tiny child, barely a day old. Rose stifled a gasp and began to cry. "Your own child," Shareen spat. "And you killed him."_

_"The blood-" Rose choked, looking up at the wall. The infant didn't seem to be bloody. She knew she would puke if she found out the blood was this precious child's._

_But Shareen was gone, and so was the blood. Rose was now trapped in a small, metal room with the child in her arms. She fought back a scream and instead looked to the child, who was so peaceful in death that it could have been asleep. "My baby," she whispered brokenly. Rose touched the soft, dark blonde hairs on the boy's head. She knew- she somehow knew -that the baby's eyes were a deep, intense brown. The walls began to cave in, slowly, and Shareen's words began to bounce off of them. Rose began to scream as her head pounded angrily. She was losing air, and soon none would be left. The walls would crush her, and the small child would-_

Rose lurched up in bed, screaming. Her shriek caught in her throat and she broke down into sobs. The ship pried at the corners of Rose's mind, attempting to find what was wrong with the girl.

Rose locked all of her thoughts away immediately, not knowing why the ship wanted to intrude or how it could. She cried harder, her tears shaking her entire body, and Rose fisted the duvet underneath her hands.

"Rose? _Rose_!"

Rose hiccupped and her sobs cut off. A strangled cry made its way out of her throat and then her tears fell silently. She didn't want the Doctor to know. He couldn't know.

"Rose! Let me in."

She held her breath as best as she could, releasing the sheets to wipe away the tears that fell from her eyes. Her mind was still racing from the nightmare, and her blood was still pumping. The adrenaline continued to course through Rose's veins, as if she truly had been running. Rose fought back another breakdown as she thought of the image of the tiny baby once again.

"Rose? I heard you scream..."

It was the fact that his voice was so soft. It was still worried, but it wasn't as eager. It was the fact that locked doors never stopped the Doctor, but he still wouldn't come in until she gave him permission. It was the fact that she heard him lean up against the door and listen intently for her response. All the tiny little things, and Rose couldn't fight the tears back anymore.

She began to cry again, harder than before, and she could barely even think straight. _Come in,_ she thought weakly, hoping the TARDIS would relay her permission to the Doctor. Rose couldn't speak coherently. She could barely even breathe.

Five seconds later, the door opened and the Doctor crossed the room in three quick bounds. He froze at the edge of her bed, taking in her appearance with questioning eyes. Rose hardly even regarded him, too lost in her own misery and horror from the nightmare.

She faintly felt the bed dip, and then his arms were around her. Rose barely even shifted and buried her face into his suit, letting her tears fall on the fabric. The Doctor began to rock her, and then- to her surprise -he began to sing.

It was a collection of syllables and sounds that made no sense to Rose, but they were beautiful. She moved her head enough to look up at the galaxy image above her head. Through her tears, she could see the nebulas swirling to the rhythm of the Doctor's song. Rose's sobs subsided after a short time, and then she wrapped her arms around the Doctor. He stopped singing when she embraced him, and peered down at her.

"Nightmare?" He guessed quietly. Rose nodded. The Doctor sighed and gently stood up, bringing Rose with him. He hugged her briefly, squeezing her, and then looked gently down at her. "Stay."

Rose watched in silence as the Doctor walked across the room. He shrugged off his jacket, tossing it to her, and Rose wrapped it around herself gratefully. She hadn't even realized she was cold until the gesture had been given. The room itself was warm, but the coldness remained inside her from her nightmare.

The Doctor returned back to her side, holding a wet rag. Gently, he washed the tears off her face and then kissed her forehead. The gesture didn't scare him now- after Darillium three days earlier, the Doctor wasn't as afraid to be close to Rose.

He put the wash cloth down and reached for her hand, which Rose grabbed and clung to. The Doctor led her to the kitchen, where he sat her down and made her a nice cuppa. Rose took it gratefully, sipping it while the Doctor sat down next to her.

"Would you like to talk about it?" The Doctor murmured. Rose flinched.

"_No_," she said in a harsh voice. The Doctor merely blinked and looked at her sadly. He placed his hand on top of hers, and Rose turned it so they could intertwine their fingers.

"I understand," he said easily. "I never talk about mine."

Rose's expression softened. "You have nightmares?"

"Every night," he answered honestly. Rose looked startled.

"Why don't you ever tell me?"

Rose bit her tongue as soon as the words left her mouth. Why should he tell her? They'd only been traveling together for two and a half weeks. Rose hiccupped and looked down.

"Didn't want to burden you," he mumbled. Rose looked up, surprised, and wonder filled her eyes.

"It wouldn't be a burden," she squeaked. She cleared her throat and tried to speak more strongly. "God, we've spent two weeks together and you're already my best friend."

The Doctor grinned. "Ah, Rose. Brilliant Rose. We've known each other for longer, though! Met before, when you denied my offer."

"Oi, what was I supposed to say?" Rose said, forcing out a small laugh. "'Yes, strange man who I've met twice, kidnap me in your magic box and show me the stars even though I don't even know your name.' I was protecting myself from a potential psychopath!"

The Doctor's grin grew larger. "I'm not a psychopath?"

"No, now you've proven it," Rose said. Her giggle wasn't forced this time. The light atmosphere sunk again, and Rose felt the weight of her dream return.

"I dream of fires," the Doctor said. He winced. "I dream of burning and screaming and everything ending."

"But you stop that from happening," Rose choked out in a small voice. "You stop the ending of places happening."

"This is the one thing I can't stop," he said darkly. His eyes flashed black for a brief second. "I can't stop the end."

Rose was silent for a long time. "I dream about the things I've lost," she answered evasively. The Doctor glanced at her, surprised. "I dream about the things I could have saved or stopped but lost in the end anyway."

"A family member?" He blurted out. Rose recoiled and he immediately withdrew his question. "Right. Never mind that. How about a trip? Thinking Cardiff, 2006. The TARDIS needs to refuel..."

Rose scarcely listened as he explained the rift. It wasn't as though she didn't care. She was merely fighting a battle within herself- one that she appeared to be losing.

* * *

As Rose got dressed so they could explore Cardiff, the Doctor sat on the jump-seat and ran his fingers through his hair.

She continued to surprise him. Her dreams weren't what he had expected. Rose dreamt about losing things or being unable to prevent things from happening; the same thing he had nightmares about constantly. And when he had told her what his nightmares were about- in a highly abridged version -she had merely come back with dreams of her own. It wasn't the comfort everyone thought he needed. The Doctor didn't need their sympathy or support. Rose had known exactly what to say. _He wasn't alone._

The sound of a throat clearing brought him out of his thoughts, and the Doctor looked up at Rose. She was dressed in jeans and trainers, wearing a black jacket over her t-shirt. It was nowhere near as spectacular as her ensemble for Darillium, but Rose Tyler still managed to take his breath away.

"So we've got four hours to kill in Cardiff, 2006," Rose said. All traces of only hours before had left completely. She was back to her confident, cheeky self. The Doctor wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. "What exactly do you plan on doing?"

The Doctor made a face. "Nothing extremely exciting about Cardiff," he murmured. "Suppose we could go to the chippy."

Rose's face lit up. "God, I'd kill for some chips. Alien food isn't as extremely satisfying as you seem to believe."

"Yeah? Well, neither are chips," he retorted. Rose smirked.

"You're being rude," she commented. "You're rude to everyone, aren't you?"

"That's me, rude and not ginger-" The words caught in his throat, and the Doctor furrowed his brow. He frowned.

"What?" Rose said, confused. The Doctor shrugged.

"Dunno," he said easily. "I'm not sure where that came from, actually. Ah, well. I've always wanted to be ginger, you know. All of these years, and I've never been ginger!"

Rose snorted. "I had red hair," she said, making a face. "Right before I met you. I hated it."

"You had red hair?!" The Doctor whined. "How is that fair?"

* * *

"These are gorgeous!"

The Doctor threw his head back and laughed. Rose beamed, surprised at how much she made him laugh. She had never thought she was funny. She put another chip in her mouth and nodded happily.

"Who would have guessed that Cardiff had some of the best chips I've ever had?" Rose continued, incredulous. She poked another one with her fork. "Here, open your mouth. You've got to try these. Just because your superior DNA or whatever doesn't need as much food doesn't mean you can't appreciate it!"

The Doctor laughed again, eating the chip off her fork. The gesture had surprised him- this human, all pink and yellow and full of surprises -had offered him food off of her fork. He had to admit that he liked the idea that they were that close. Even if he wished they could be closer…

_No_, the Doctor thought firmly. _She's Rose. She's just a friend_.

"What's the date?" Rose asked suddenly.

"July the third," he answered, barely having to think about it. Her eyes widened.

"I've been missing for months."

"What?" The Doctor was taken aback. His brain immediately began to spin, tracking time to the exact moment Rose stepped into his TARDIS with the intention of staying.

"The day I left to travel with you was the twenty-first day of February," she said. "I've been missing for nearly four months... But that's not how long I've been traveling with you, is it?"

The Doctor grinned, pleased for an opportunity to show off his superior Time Lord brain. "You've been traveling with me for exactly two weeks, four days, six hours, and twenty-four minutes."

"We took the fast path to this day," Rose said with a breathy laugh.

"Is there anyone who's worrying about you?" the Doctor asked. He had thought back to the second night he had found her, weeks after she had first told him no. Rose had informed him that she was waiting for someone. "A mum? A dad? A boyfr-"

The word caught in the Doctor's throat, surprising both of them. He was shocked to see how upset the idea of Rose Tyler's boyfriend made him.

"Nah," she said, staring at him. "Dad died when I was young, my mum hasn't seen me in weeks anyway, and... There isn't a boy. There was, but things ended and didn't end very well."

She watched his expression, determined to find out what he was thinking. But the Doctor's face was still and thinking, and gave away no clues. He finally opened his mouth, but the sound was quickly cut off.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor looked up to find who was calling his name. It wasn't every day that someone recognized him. His eyes had just barely landed on the man when he spoke again.

"And Rose Tyler!"

Rose looked up, startled. Someone who knew the both of them had to be from the future. When she saw who had entered the cafe, her jaw dropped. She spoke at the same time as the Doctor, uttering the exact same word.

"_Jack_?"

* * *

**A/N: Fear not! I have finally uploaded. A bit of a more angst-y chapter. But I love it, and I'm the author (: and, whoa, look at me go - throwing in ANOTHER character! How crazy.**

**P.S. Is anyone absolutely desperate to know Rose's secret yet? I'm dying to tell you, to be honest! But not yet. Not quite yet (:**

**Review, favorite, follow, all that jazz. I try to respond to everyone's reviews, but sometimes I'm tired, so I don't. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I will try to get to yours eventually.**

**P.P.S. (I apologize for my scatter-brain) GUYS! I'm so close to 50 reviews and we aren't even ten chapters in. Can that be a goal? Fifty reviews by ten chapters and then a special fluffy happy update? Yay? Nay?**

**All my love from the TARDIS,**

**Kat xx**


	9. Chapter 9 - The Past

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

"The Doctor and Rose Tyler!"

Rose stared, slack-jawed, at the figure in front of her. "Jack Harkness," she replied. The American captain beamed and winked at her.

"The one and only, Rosie," he said. "Did you miss me?"

Jack leaned forward and kissed Rose lightly on the lips. She jumped, startled, and Jack laughed. The Doctor blinked, surprised that he could feel jealousy over his growing confusion.

"Jack Harkness," the Doctor repeated, clearly baffled by Jack's presence.

"Bet you missed me, too, eh, Doc?" Jack said, kissing the Doctor as well. Rose stifled a laugh as the Doctor recoiled and stared in shock. Jack grinned brilliantly. "You know, I was thinking of introducing you two, but I figured you'd fight too often."

"We don't fight," the Doctor said defensively at the same time that Rose muttered, "You were correct."

The Doctor turned back to Rose. "We don't argue that often," he said.

Rose snorted. "Come on, now! We argue about everything most of the time."

"Only because you're so damn stubborn," Jack put in, but neither of them paid any attention.

"Well," the Doctor admitted. "I suppose...we do argue over some things."

"Very verbally," Rose concurred.

"And violently," the Doctor said with a laugh.

Yes, but that's what passion is made of, Rose thought almost desperately. She blushed as her heart skipped a beat and turned back to Jack. "What are you doing here? How do you know the Doctor? How long are you staying?"

Jack sighed dramatically and sat down in the seat in front of Rose. The Doctor scooted closer to her instinctively, hoping to go unnoticed. Rose, of course, grinned a silly smile to herself and then returned her focus to Jack.

"No, hold on, how do you know Rose?" The Doctor put in. He snuck a glance at her, and found her hazel eyes peering back at him. His breath caught in his throat and he turned back to Jack quickly.

"We met at the graveyard," Jack said easily, and Rose turned bright red.

"Jack," she hissed. The Doctor turned to her, stunned to see tears filling her eyes.

"I was visiting someone from World War II, and Rose and I literally ran into each other. We went out dancing later. Glenn Kelly, right, Rosie?" Jack continued. "We had drinks on the balcony and we talked about the future and the past. Then...Rose ran away."

Rose swallowed. Her entire body was tense, ready to flee. Her hands were clenched in fists in her lap, trembling slightly. Her breath hitched, and she tried to laugh. "Didn't run away, Jack," she said, making a futile attempt to sound casual.

"No, you literally ran away," he reminded her with a charming laugh. "I leaned in to make my move and you ran and didn't look back. I couldn't find you after that."

"You didn't look," Rose challenged.

"I would have," the Doctor mumbled under his breath. Rose tensed again, and shot him a quick, startled look.

"Though, you never told me, Rose," Jack interjected. "Why were you at the graveyard that-"

"How'd you and the Doctor meet?" Rose blurted. The Doctor frowned, and looked at her with a worried expression. Gently, he put his hand on top of her fists and Rose tensed again, refusing to look at him.

"World War II," Jack said, laughing again. The Doctor's head snapped back to Jack, who winked. "I met Doc in 1939. Right before the London Blitz."

"Your friend," Rose said, realization dawning on her. "You weren't visiting an ancestor that day, you were visiting someone you knew!"

Jack nodded grimly. "You watch a lot of people die when you travel through time and space, don't you, Doctor?"

"Should've known you were a time traveler," Rose muttered. "Seems like everyone knew there was all of time and space before me."

"Aw, don't beat yourself up, Rosie!" Jack said, cheerful again. "I'm from the 51st century. It's not uncommon to become a Time Agent in those times!"

"Time agent," Rose scoffed. "I think you're more of a freelancer."

"I prefer to think of myself as a criminal," Jack laughed, winking. "Of course, you'd know all about that..."

Rose began to panic, spluttering out, "What?!"

"You've always been quite the freelancer yourself, Rosie," he teased. She tried to relax, but her body was still tense and trembling. "Now, I gotta say...I can't believe you two ended up finding each other! Small world."

"Jack," the Doctor said loudly. Rose jumped- she had forgotten he was so close to her. "Would you go order some more chips? Rose ate all of them."

"Oi!" Rose complained, glaring at him.

"I get it, I get it," Jack teased, standing up. "You want alone-time with the wife."

"We're not-" the Doctor hastily said, his eyes wide.

"Oh, my god, Jack!" Rose hissed, blushing furiously. She became aware that the Doctor's hand was still on top of hers and she moved quickly. "You're such a prat."

Jack threw his head back and laughed, slowly sliding out of the booth. "Just calling it as it is. Don't have too much fun without me...and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"What wouldn't you do?" Rose muttered under her breath, and the Doctor laughed. Jack shook his head at the pair before leaving them alone. When his back was turned, the Doctor sobered up.

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly. She tensed and looked away from him.

"Fine," Rose said stiffly. "Just...surprised to see Jack. He was part of my…um, my old life. It's...it's just strange to see an old mate again."

His brown eyes searched her face diligently. He was a 900 Time Lord with superior senses- and he wasn't daft. Plus, this was Rose, and he had...grown attached to her. He wanted her happiness above anything else. Even without his superior senses, he could tell there was something she wasn't telling him. For whatever reason, the fact she didn't trust him sent a wave of pain through his body. He had never felt like this…never for a human, either- and it terrified him. He was terrified of how desperately he wanted her to be happy.

"Rose," he said softly. The Doctor's hand twitched, and he almost reached up to her face. There was a strand of blonde hair taunting him, and for a brief second, the Doctor nearly allowed himself to tuck it behind her ear. "Don't lie to me."

Rose scoffed slightly, clearly irritated. "But you can lie to me?" She retorted. Her hazel eyes snapped up to meet his, and he saw such a raw passion there. For a fleeting moment, he wanted it to be longing passion- a longing passion for him.

_No_, he thought insistently. _No matter how brilliant she is. She's human. She's destructible._

"No," he hissed quietly, mostly to the demon inside his head. He wouldn't allow thoughts like that in his head. He wouldn't lose Rose like that. Rose blinked, confused, and the Doctor sighed, exasperated. "No, I can't lie to you. Well, I shouldn't. Well, I could, but I shouldn't. And you most definitely shouldn't lie to me."

Rose crossed her arms defiantly and turned away. "Stupid alien," Rose mumbled. The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, but it was quickly stopped by a familiar voice.

"What did I miss?"

Rose glanced up to see Jack slide back into the booth. He set down the new food, and Rose stared at it angrily before feeling tears prick her eyes.

"Oh, god," she muttered, standing up quickly. The Doctor stood after her, reaching towards her automatically, but she dodged his arms and turned on her heels. And then, Rose Tyler did what she knew how to do best.

She ran.

* * *

She found the TARDIS with ease, and she knew she had lost the Doctor a while back. Rose had to admit that she was surprised he had followed her. Unfortunately, she didn't want to be followed tonight. She touched the faded blue wood softly, and felt the ship hum in her mind. Rose hadn't quite gotten used to the sentient ship yet- even if she understood what the ship was.

"Hey, old girl," Rose said. "You did it before...let me in again."

She was a little confused as to why she didn't have a key, but Rose knew the ship would always let her in if she asked. For whatever reason, the TARDIS liked her. It wasn't a surprise when the door opened.

Rose walked into the familiar console room, shutting the door behind her. She touched the coral ruts and then walked to the console. She brushed her fingers across the buttons, being cautious to not press anything. Then, Rose left down the corridor to the library.

It wasn't hard to find, and she was relieved to find herself surrounded by the old and new books. Rose sat on a couch from the 37th century, relishing in the relief it brought her. She curled up on it and looked around her at the walls.

"Can you hear me in here?" She asked aloud. The TARDIS buzzed, and Rose was suddenly overwhelmed by a voice inside her head.

_Yes, child, I can hear you._

Rose sighed in relief, before her distress settled once again on her brain. "Oh, god," she moaned. "He's going to figure it out."

The TARDIS hummed again, and Rose's mind was filled with images- memories -of her and the Doctor. When she spoke about the past or the night of the nightmare. The TARDIS even showed her things she didn't know, like him standing protectively outside her door and waiting patiently for her when she wasn't around, and silently humming when she woke up in the mornings. All the things he did because he questioned her, but protected her.

"You, you stupid old alien," Rose muttered, surprised when a tear dripped down her face. "One hell of an age gap and two different races, and you've still nestled in my heart."

The TARDIS buzzed contently, and Rose got the impression that the ship wanted this.

"Come off it," she laughed. "You're an old romantic."

It was silent in the ship again before Rose finally sniffled and spoke gently. "I'm going to tell you, because you're a ship and you can keep my secret. But someone needs to know my past. How about it, old girl? Want to know?"

* * *

** A/N: Well! Sorry I took so long to update! Apparently, life gets busy when school starts. Who know?**

**But I must know - what do you think Rose's secret is? I am very interested to see your thoughts. Drop a PM or a review.**

**And, my dear sweet lovely readers, please feel free to drop a review. Or suggest the story to someone. Or both. Your reviews bring HUGE grins to my face (:**

**Finally, a big round of applause and a huge hug to my lovely beta, EdithFinch.**

**Much love, dear readers!**

**Kat x**


	10. Chapter 10 - The Present

"_Rose!_"

Panicked, the Doctor took off after her. He didn't even glance behind him to see if Jack would follow. Right now, all that mattered was Rose Tyler.

He tried to keep up with her, but she was quick and knew how to escape. It didn't take long for him to lose sight of her.

But it didn't stop him from looking.

He would never stop searching if it came down to her. He knew that he would follow the stubborn, strange girl to the ends of the universe. His devotion to the human scared him, and he wanted to run away from it. _But how could he run away when Rose already had?_

He didn't know if he had given up or just run in circles, but he found himself back at the cafe a little while later. Jack was talking politely to an employee.

The Doctor felt a surge of anger come through him, and he was glad when Jack sent the waitress away. Quickly, he stormed up to Jack and snarled under his breath, "Why didn't you follow her?"

Jack stood up calmly and stared him in the eyes. "There wasn't any need," Jack said easily. The Doctor's fists clenched and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"It's Rose Tyler," he said in a low voice, almost deadly. "There is _always_ a need. You already didn't follow her once. But to make the same mistake again?"

Jack sighed. "Doc, you aren't seeing the bigger picture here. I know where to find her."

The Doctor's demeanor quickly softened. "You do?" He asked eagerly.

Jack was surprised at the quick change in the Doctor's mood. "She's really got you wrapped around her finger, hasn't she?" Jack said, almost teasing. The Doctor scoffed.

"Jack," he snapped. "Focus!"

Jack shrugged slightly. "Listen, Doc. Rose is in Cardiff. There aren't a lot of places she can go. Rose isn't one for familiar places, either. But she still would want to go somewhere she knows, especially if she was upset. So think. What's a place that is unfamiliar yet familiar all the same?"

The Doctor ran his fingers angrily through his hair. "I've known her for less than three weeks, Jack! How am I supposed to know what's familiar to her?"

"You've been with her for almost three weeks," Jack said easily. He watched the alien intently, wondering when the realization would make its way through his thick skull.

The Doctor glared at Jack, irritated by his answers. "I swear, Jack, if you don't tell me…"

"_Doc_," Jack said impatiently. "Think about it. You've been with her for three weeks. Things become familiar to a person after three weeks. Unless, of course, said person has spent three weeks in an alien spaceship that constantly rearranges itself just for the hell of it and has millions of unknown rooms."

The Doctor stared blankly at the captain until he finally realized what Jack was saying. "She went to the TARDIS!" He yelled, momentarily pleased with himself, before whipping around. Jack smiled smugly, but the satisfied look on his face quickly deteriorated when the Doctor slowly turned back to him.

In the alien's eyes, Jack saw something he had been positive he would never see again. Darkness-violent rage -was looming beneath the surface. "Doctor…" Jack warned, cautious.

"And let this be clear, Jack Harkness," the Doctor began coldly. "If I ever learn of you abandoning Rose again- or failing to follow after her -there will be consequences. She's Rose Tyler, and she is brilliant. You've hurt her once, you didn't follow. She ran again, you let her. Don't make the mistake a third time. I'm not a man of second chances. But I am giving you a third."

Jack watched as the Doctor turned again, proceeding to the door. The air of fury still surrounded him, and Jack shook his head in awe.

He was surprised that the Doctor hadn't realized that the only times he had met Jack where in his previous incarnation. Jack supposed it was because he was so subdued with Rose. Even at three weeks, it was evident that he cared for the human. Jack sat back down at the booth, picking at the remaining chips. He wondered when the Doctor would realize that piece of information.

Jack wondered if the Time Lord would realize that their timelines had just become tangled- and that Jack had been from their future. A future he wished he hadn't seen, hadn't known about. A future that would come, all too soon, for the Doctor and his companion.

* * *

It only took him seconds to locate the TARDIS, and he hastily opened the door and stepped inside. He opened his mouth to call his name before he realized that it probably wasn't his smartest idea.

"Rose?" He said tentatively. It was a low call, a noise that barely escaped his mouth. He didn't want to risk Rose wanting to hide, and the ship taking her side. He wanted to find her, and make sure she was alright. "Rose."

He walked quietly through the corridor, silently begging his ship to help him find her. Whether it was complying or not, the halls kept changing, until finally, he found the right door. He pressed his cheek against the door, scarcely breathing. It hadn't even been eight hours since he had last been in the exact same place. Her room was quiet, and the lack of sound unnerved him. The Doctor swallowed, and then slowly raised his hand to knock.

Before he could, he heard Rose's quiet voice, "Come in."

He wasn't sure why he had expected her to be crying- perhaps it was because she had ran. But, despite his expectations, Rose sat cross-legged on her bed, staring calmly at the Doctor.

He stepped further inside the room, leaning against the door-frame as he breathed in and out. It was a futile attempt to calm himself down. "What…" he began, before pinching the bridge of his nose in chagrin. The Doctor took another deep breath before beginning again. "Right. Okay. How'd..."

Rose stared at him, still holding a calm mask with her expression. It frustrated him beyond relief. She was obviously upset- otherwise she wouldn't have ran away -but her expression begged to differ. Finally, the Doctor settled on a question that he didn't care what the answer was.

"How'd you get in the TARDIS?"

Rose smiled slightly, rolling her eyes. "She let me in," Rose said easily. "Just wanted to be here...and then she opened the door."

The Doctor felt himself losing his control. "What the hell was that?" He burst out. "I thought you were slipping into psychogenic shock! Why were you running? What good did that do? Why did you run?! Was it something Jack said? Or something I said? _Rassilon_, Rose, what the hell happened back there? Do you even know how worried…"

She waited for him to continue, but the sentence seemed to remain strangled in his throat. "What, Doctor?" She asked.

The Doctor stared at her, shifting his weight from one foot to another before reaching down and grabbing her hand. With one quick motion, he pulled her up and then crushed her to his chest. Rose gasped, surprised, and the Doctor wrapped his arms tightly around her. After a moment of hesitation, Rose returned the hug.

"Are you okay?" He whispered into her hair. Rose laughed breathlessly.

"M'fine," she assured him. "Just...I haven't seen Jack in ages and the last time I saw him was...it was, um..."

He ran his fingers through her hair. The Doctor was dying to know what the end of her sentence was. He wanted to figure out the mystery of Rose Tyler more than anything in the world. There were so many things, so many unanswered questions she presented, and he knew the answers to none. It wasn't as if he was an open book himself- it was quite obvious that he didn't want to reveal his past as well. But his...dedication…to this human who was all pink and yellow was strong. He was terrified by it, of course. The fear and concern and...devotion he had for her were enough to make him want to run.

But it was like she _knew_. She _knew_ of his urge to flee, so she'd slip her hand into his and grin at him cheekily and they would run _together_.

Yes, he wanted to know who Rose was and what she was hiding. But it was clear that she wouldn't say unless he did. And, of course, there was the fact that she had only been with him for less than three weeks. _Why should she trust you? _was the single question that haunted the Doctor's mind most recently.

"Shh," he said finally, resting his chin on top of her head. "You don't need to tell me."

"But-" Rose began helplessly. Her charade of serenity was quickly diminishing, and she clung tighter to the man who had become so familiar.

"Eventually," he promised. "Eventually, you can tell me. But you're not ready...and that's...that's okay."

"Thank you," she breathed, sounding relieved. She swallowed, and buried her face in his neck, taking a slow and shuddering breath. He clung to her tighter, closing his eyes as he tried to calm his racing hearts.

They stayed like that for a while, comforting without words and only with warmth. After what could have been an eternity, Rose shifted, and the Doctor loosened his grip. "You worried about me?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Rose Tyler, jeopardy friendly and prone to danger. Have I no reason to worry?"

"Oi, you love it!" She laughed, moving enough to hit his arm. Rose moved out of his embrace fully after that, beaming at him cheekily.

_Quite right,_ he thought contently. The thought brought a small smile onto his face, and slowly, it turned into a grin. "Right! Well, we should go. Future or past, Rose? We've got it all in our reach."

Rose opened her mouth, prepared with an answer, but she surprised herself by changing her mind. "Actually I...I want to say goodbye to Jack. I didn't say goodbye to him last time, and...I have this, um...this habit of just disappearing. And it's something that I...want to change. D'you think we could just...say goodbye?"

The Doctor sighed dramatically. "If we have to," he grumbled, teasing, and then he reached for her hand.

* * *

"I'm telling you, it's got the best banana cupcakes you've ever tasted!"

"Oh, and you've tasted all the cupcakes in the galaxy?" She rolled her eyes and slipped her hand into his again, and he continued to lead her down the street and back to the cafe.

"Have _you_?" the Doctor retorted. "I can honestly say that I've tasted a lot more banana-flavored cake pastries than you!"

"Don't be so sure," Rose replied, giggling slightly. "I wanted to be a chef when I was a kid, yeah? I started experimenting from day one and one of the only things I had were bananas. Bananas and pears, actually."

"God, pears?" he said, wrinkling his nose. "I can see why you went with bananas. Excellent source of potassium, did you know?"

He pushed open the door to the cafe, and Rose instinctively searched for her old friend. "Doctor," she said quietly. He stopped rambling and peered down at her. "Jack's gone."

The Doctor looked up, surveying the cafe as well. "That he is," the Doctor said in a low voice. "He just...left."

"Guess it's too late to say goodbye," Rose said, shrugging. She tugged on his hand but he didn't move. "Doctor?"

"Third time," he murmured lowly. The Doctor cleared his throat and looked back at Rose, smiling wildly. "Alright, then. No time for goodbyes. So how about it? Back to the TARDIS, all of time and space in our grasp?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Rose said, jumping a bit. He grinned.

"Oh, that reminds me," he muttered, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a single key on a shining silver chain, and slipped it into Rose's hand.

"A key," she stated flatly.

"Yep!" he said, popping the last consonant. "A key to the TARDIS!"

Rose's eyebrows arched, and she stared at it in shock. "Are you serious?" she asked, incredulous.

"For permanent residents only," he said, smug. Rose grinned, and slipped the key into her pocket. She threw her arms around the Doctor.

"Oh, but I love it!" Rose said happily. "Thank you, Doctor."

He smiled against her hair, spinning her slightly before putting her back down on the ground. "Well! Off we go?"

"To the stars," Rose agreed.

* * *

**A/N: Quick update! Hope you enjoyed it. Anyway, I've made a goal to update at least every Saturday! My life has been taken over. What can I say?**

**So, review. Follow. Favorite. Drop a PM. Tell your friends. Whatever makes you happy. (Or, more accurately...makes me happy) (;**

**All my love from the TARDIS,**

**Kat x**


	11. Chapter 11 - Dress

**Chapter Eleven**

* * *

"Right! So," the Doctor yelled, throwing his overcoat onto a coral beam. Rose skipped in after him, shutting the TARDIS door behind her. "You've got the key to the universe in your hand, and I've got an itch to go to the 1930's. What do you say? Thirties sound good?"

She smiled at him, eyes sparkling. "Do I even have a say in the matter?" Rose teased, poking her tongue between her teeth. "Honestly...do _you_ even have a say in the matter?"

"Oi," he whined. "I mess up once and we land in the midst of an alien war and she never lets it go! Once, Rose, it happened once. I was only off by three planets!"

"Tell you what, though," she said thoughtfully. "It was a nice adventure after Darillium. Reminded me of what was really out there when you aren't being such a romantic."

The Doctor sniffed, dignified. "You can just march yourself away if that's how you're gonna treat me," he huffed. Rose laughed, and his expression softened. She flashed him one more quick smile before dashing towards the corridor.

"I'm just gonna change!" She called out. He snorted at her words, and turned to the TARDIS console. "Don't land us in a battle zone!"

"Dress for the 30's," the Doctor shouted back. Grinning wildly, he grabbed a lever and yanked it back, rushing around quickly as the TARDIS began to move.

He watched her as she left, out of the corner of his eye. She skipped, he noticed with a grin. Whatever had plagued her with sadness before was gone, and he had his Rose Tyler back. Beaming smile, cheeky comments, bright eyes. His shining star. It wasn't any question that he wanted to know who she was - and what she was hiding. But he believed that he didn't need her to tell him who she was. He could figure out who she was for himself.

He was already beginning to.

She was human. She was so perfectly human - and so completely alien to him. She wasn't like the other apes. She was different. Brilliant. She was so much more than any of the other humans on her planet. She was so much stronger and braver than anyone he had ever met before - and he had dealt with the Time Lords. Rose Tyler, who never ceased to amaze him. Yes, he was beginning to figure out who she was.

He also saw the darkness in her. He recognized it in her eyes- it was the same look that often clouded his own. She wasn't an innocent little girl. She had seen the world. She knew its troubles. The idea that something terrible had opened her eyes was enough to infuriate the Doctor. She had already taken over his hearts, even in the short time she had known her. He was terrified of bringing out her darkness as well. It was one thing he did well. The Oncoming Storm was known for destroying good people. He didn't want to see her break because of him.

Whatever she was, he was -

He lov -

He knew -

She was brilliant. She was more than any other human he'd ever come across. She was -

Rose was more than any living thing he'd ever met before.

"Doctor!"

He was drawn out of his internal monologue by the sound of Rose's shout. The Doctor didn't hesitate to rush towards her. In only seconds, he found the wardrobe and burst in.

"Rose!"

He found her sitting on the ground, surrounded by fabrics. A hat from the 46th century adorned her head, and she had a scarf wrapped around her neck. She gestured up helplessly, and piles of clothes moved when she did.

"I don't know what to wear!" she said. The Doctor began laughing, and walked over to her quickly. He picked up her hat and threw it across the room.

"Definitely not that hat," he said. He grabbed the scarf off her neck and draped it around his own. "As for this...sorry, but it's mine. It's...important."

"Bit of an attachment?" She teased. She flicked a stray piece of yarn that was falling from the scarf.

"Oi!" he said, pulling it away from her. "My scarf is fantastic."

Rose smirked, and stood quickly. Clothes scattered onto the floor, and she moaned. "Look at it! I asked for 1930's and the ship gave me spandex and sequins!"

"Did you specify what planet?" The Doctor asked, wrapping the scarf around a coral beam.

"Did I specify what _planet_?" Rose retorted. "Yeah, 'cause it was the first thing that crossed my mind."

The Doctor grinned, and then reached for Rose's hand. "The 1930's is gonna be somewhere near the middle - easiest place to find. One of my favorite time eras, you know. On almost every planet. 1932 on New Earth - which was after the year five billion, mind you - _hell_ of a year! I should take you there sometime. If, you know, if you'd want. 1930's Earth, though, what a time! Pre-World War Two, beginning of the Depression. People were either striving with wealth or searching for wages. And the parties - oh, the _parties_, Rose Tyler. Incredible!"

"Great!" Rose said sarcastically. "So what might one wear to an incredible 1930's party?"

* * *

"Oh, this is brilliant!"

The Doctor turned slightly to look back at Rose. She held a pink dress up against her body, twirling slightly. He smirked, and tossed her a white shawl. "This'd go with it, right?"

She beamed and draped the shawl over a coral beam. "What 'bout you?" Rose asked lightly. "Don't go off expecting that your tattered old suit will blend in fine."

"Oi, this suit is debonair," he argued. He straightened his jacket slightly. "It fits in anywhere."

"I don't know," Rose sighed dramatically. "I think you'd look pretty dashing in a fedora."

She reached up, quickly placing a black hat on his head, and then ducked away, grinning wildly. He scoffed and flipped it off. "If I'm wearing a fedora, it'll be pinstriped," he said, reaching for one above her. "More classy!"

She laughed, and grabbed a feather boa, draping it around her.

"Much classier, darling," she drawled in a pointed accent. The Doctor laughed, and handed her a tiara, which she quickly slipped on.

"Your Majesty," he teased, bowing slightly. Rose giggled, and moved further into the wardrobe, tossing him a pair of faded jeans from the 80's.

"If we are dressing up, we're doing it right," she informed him. He laughed, and soon their game had begun. They took turns trying on different outfits and attempting to make the other laugh. The Doctor quickly pulled his old opera cape out of retirement for the sole purpose of seeing her smile. She put on a bright purple miniskirt and a pink tank-top, singing Madonna as she appeared from around the corner. He threw on a Big Bad Wolf t-shirt and she wore a red cape.

"Are you ready?" Rose called as she prepared her next outfit. She fidget with the dress, not sure if she was wearing it right. It was a dress from the 1800s - deep red in fabric and slightly dressy. She pulled her hair up into a hasty bun, allowing some pieces to fall from her head.

"Course I am!" He called back. "Been waiting on you."

"Oh, how cliché!" Rose retorted, smirking. "Waiting on a woman. You are SO male!"

"Oi! Have you ever waited for a woman to get dressed?"

He couldn't help but think that he'd spend eternities waiting for her.

She appeared from behind the coral rut and smiled at the Doctor sheepishly. She wanted to giggle at his ensemble - tight leather pants, a baggy shirt, a vest, and leather boots - but he truly looked...great. Rose expected him to laugh at her - but instead, his jaw dropped open.

"You look..." He said breathlessly.

"Silly?" She asked lightly.

"Beautiful."

She was surprised at how much the single word pierced her heart. It was the second time he had called her that, and it still affected her so deeply. She smiled slightly, blushing, and the Doctor thought briefly that the blush completed the look.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the sound was cut off by a gasp as the TARDIS lurched. Rose was thrown to the floor, and he shouted at her to hold on.

The Doctor rushed to her side quickly, helping her up. His hand lingered on her waist a bit longer than necessary. "We've hit a bump in the time vortex," he explained. "I've got to see what's wrong."

"I'm gonna change," she said breathlessly, and he nodded. He turned away, and so did she, but he quickly took her by surprise.

The Doctor grabbed her again, placing a quick kiss onto her forehead before taking off down the corridor. She stared in shock after him, and soon she began to blush furiously. It was only when the TARDIS threatened to throw her again that Rose remembered what she needed to do.

* * *

"So, what is it, what's wrong?" Rose asked as she appeared in the console room again. She noticed that he had changed back into his suit as well. A part of her was disappointed that their fun had been cut short. For a moment, it had been easy to imagine that they were just a childish couple, young and foolish and in lo -

_No_, she thought firmly. _You know what love does._

"I don't know! Some kind of signal drawing the TARDIS off course," the Doctor shouted. Rose's legs shook slightly as the TARDIS landed, and he reached for her hand. She skipped with him towards the door, not caring what was on the other side as long as his hand was in hers.

"Where are we?"

He threw open the door and pulled her outside. "Earth. Utah. North America. About half a mile underground."

"And..." Rose asked, hesitating. "_When_ are we?"

The Doctor shrugged lightly. "2012."

"God, that's close!" Rose said with a laugh. She stuck her free hand out towards a glass case, one of the only things she could see in the limited light. Within seconds, more light flooded the room. "Blimey, it's just a big museum!"

"An alien museum!" The Doctor crowed, sounding pleased. "Well, just look at these things! Meteorites, stardust. Blimey, a Slitheen hand. And - oh, look at that. An old friend of mine."

He reached up and touched the glass case holding a dismembered robotic head. "Well...enemy. An old enemy," he corrected quietly. His voice grew hard, and his eyes became cold. "Cybermen. They were called the Cybermen."

Rose squeezed his hand reassuringly. "And they were there? At the war?"

The Doctor swallowed, sniffing. "Nah, not them!" He said lightly, reverting back to himself. "They were a whole different battle."

She reached up, touching the glass carefully, and an alarm started blaring. "Oh, now I've done it!" She whined. She wondered briefly if the police were still looking for her after six years.

"Let's do what we do best," the Doctor suggested. "Run!"

* * *

**A/N: It's cold outside and there isn't snow. I am not okay with this.**

**Anyway, quick little update. Next chapter will be longer! Hopefully. Also, real quick: Are there any episodes you as readers would like to see in this story?**

**Review, follow, favorite, you know the drill. I'll update faster (; probably..**

**Yours,**

**Kat x**


	12. Chapter 12 - Dalek

"Not so fast!"

They both knew they'd never stop running, even if voices called after them. The Doctor tried to usher Rose back toward the TARDIS, but they had wandered further in than he had thought. When they reached the blue box, guards were standing in front of it.

"Alien personnel," the guard said strictly, shooting the Doctor a nasty look. "If it's alien, it's ours."

"If this is an alien museum, then that makes you Exhibit A," Rose said under her breath. The Doctor held back a snort, and instead stared down the guard in front of his ship.

The guard sneered back, and brought a device near his face. "Unauthorized persons in the exhibit," he said. The guard stole a glance at Rose and winked. Rose rolled her eyes and scoffed.

The Doctor watched the exchange with narrowed eyes. He couldn't explain the feeling of protectiveness that overcame him as the man stared hungrily at Rose. The Doctor automatically reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers easily.

Mine, he wanted to say giddily.

"Copy that," the guard said again, replying into the device. He pressed a few more buttons before bringing the device back up to his ear. "Yes? Prepare the office. Bad Wolf One descending. Repeat: Bad Wolf One descending."

"And who's that?" Rose asked. The guard looked over her again, causing the Doctor to step closer instinctively.

"Stop it," the Doctor whined under his breath. Rose nearly giggled and squeezed his hand automatically.

"Mr. Van Statten," the guard replied. "He wants to meet you. You'll have to come with me."

"Like hell," Rose began, but the Doctor raised his hand to silence her.

"Van Statten. He's the collector, right?" The Doctor asked. The guard slowly nodded. "Right, so...tell me. Where did Van Stattenget the head of a Cyberman? And the hand of a Slitheen?"

"You'll have to come with me," the guard repeated.

The Doctor looked at Rose. "We're captives," he said lightly, rocking on his heels. Rose rolled her eyes. "They'll take us anyway."

"I just want to go home," Rose complained, tugging on his hand. The Doctor's hearts stopped beating for exactly three point seven-nine seconds, before he remembered how to breathe. "Back to the stars and the adventures. Museums are boring."

It barely took him any time to realize that Rose considered the TARDIS home. The idea was enough to leave a smile on his face, before he realized what had been said. "Oi, museums aregreat! Plenty of history, lots of artifacts, and-"

"Oh, my god, this is how you keep score!" Rose laughed. The Doctor huffed dignifiedly. She bumped his arm fondly and then tucked him forward. "Alright, then, if we're playing to win. Pull ahead while you still can."

They walked hand in hand until the guard stopped at a door and nodded. As they walked in, they picked up on the middle of a conversation.

"What does it do?"

"Well, you see, the tubes on the side. Must be to channel something? I think...maybe fuel?"

"I thought we were in America," Rose muttered.

"We are."

"So why's that bloke English?"

"I really wouldn't hold it like that," the Doctor interrupted, taking a step forward. Rose let go of his hand briefly, and he was surprised at the coldness that rushed through him.

"Shut it," the woman next to him snapped. The Doctor shot her a nasty look and then glanced back to the two men behind the desk.

"Really, though, that's wrong," the Doctor tried again.

"Is it dangerous?" The English bloke asked. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Yes, it's a bomb set to go off the second you press the self-destruct button," he retorted. "Of course not. No. It just looks silly."

He began to step forward, but the guards followed after him and pulled him back. "I just want to hold it," the Doctor protested.

"What's he gonna do, throw it at you?" Rose added sarcastically. The Doctor grinned at her, and she smiled back. "Come on, you don't even know what it does."

The English bloke looked skeptical as he handed over the alien device. The Doctor took it gently and held it in one hand.

"You just need to be..." the Doctor said slowly, running his fingers down the thing. A low note began to play, and the Doctor beamed. "Delicate!"

He continued to stroke the instrument, producing a slow but beautiful tone.

"It's a musical instrument," the American man said in awe, standing up.

The Doctor smiled fondly at the instrument. "And it's a long way from home."

"Here, let me," the American said, taking the device from the Doctor.

The Doctor watched in disgust as the man ran his fingers roughly up and down the surface. "I said delicately," he reminded them gruffly. "It reacts to the lightest of touches. You don't have to be so harsh with it."

The man lightened his touch, and the same music began to play. The Doctor smiled in approval. "Very good. Much better. Quite an expert, aren't you?"

"As are you," the American man commented. He threw the instrument over his shoulder, and the Doctor stared in disbelief. "Who exactly are you?"

The Doctor glared at the man, before straightening up and crossing his arms. "I'm the Doctor. And who are you?"

The man sneered. "Like you don't know. We're hidden way with the most valuable collection of extra-terrestrial artifacts in the world and you just stumbled in here by mistake."

Rose shrugged. "Sums us up, doesn't it?" She said lightly, bumping her shoulder against the Doctor's. He grinned down at her and she smiled back, her tongue poking between her teeth.

"I'll say," he said quietly, and she smirked.

The American bloke regarded them with weary eyes. "The question is, how did you get in? Fifty-three floors down... With your little cat burglar accomplice. Quite the collector yourself. She's rather pretty."

The Doctor huffed and stepped closer to Rose.

"She's going to smack you if you keep calling her 'she'," Rose warned, slipping her hand into the Doctor's.

The Doctor smiled, satisfied, and then confronted the man. "Mr. Van Statten, the collector, I presume. You're an expert. Except for the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock up."

Van Statten crossed his arms. "You claim greater knowledge of these things?"

"No, I don't claim anything," the Doctor said calmly. "Iknow how good I am."

Van Statten narrowed his eyes. "Sure. But I still captured you."

"Why are you here?" Asked a new voice. The Doctor turned his head the English kid among all the Americans.

"You tell us," the Doctor said. He opened his mouth and closed it again, unable to answer the Doctor.

"They were by the Cage," Van Statten said calmly. "Home of my only living specimen."

The Doctor straightened, interested. "Show me."

Mr. Van Statten smiled smugly. "Goddard," he said to the woman who had snapped at the Doctor earlier. "Inform the cage. We're headed down. You, English. Look after the girl. Canoodle or do tea or whatever you British do. And you, Doctor with no name. Come see my pet."

Rose let go of the Doctor's hand, and turned to face him. "Don't get carried away boys!" she said with a cheeky wink. She stared at the Doctor and said firmly, "I want you home by midnight."

The Doctor saluted her and smiled fondly before turning to the English boy who would watch over Rose. "You," he said, stepping forward.

"A-Adam," the bloke stammered.

"Yeah, Adam," the Doctor said, waving his hand to show he didn't care. He took another step forward, giving Adam a threatening look. "Stay away from the blonde."

Adam swallowed and nodded, and the Doctor have Rose one last smile before following Van Statten and Goddard out the door.

"He's, um..." Adam said lightly, stepping forward. "He's a pretty serious bloke."

Rose stared at the door absentmindedly. "Nah, he's just protective of his things," she said dismissively. Adam touched her arm and she jumped, surprised. He grinned at her.

"Any man who things of a woman as his property doesn't deserve her," Adam said, winking. Rose snorted, disgusted, and stepped away.

"Good thing I'm not his property," she said lightly.

"What does that make you, then?" Adam asked. She could hear the hope in his voice.

"His...companion," she said, after hesitating.

"Good."

"Why's it good?" Rose asked, slightly annoyed.

"Just is."

In all truths, she wasn't sure what she was to the Doctor. She could be anything. He might mean something to her, but that didn't mean her feelings were requited. She sighed, and walked towards the door.

"Is there any way I can join him?"

* * *

"What is she doing down here?! English, I told you to keep her up!"

"She just left!"

The Doctor raised his head and found Rose staring at him with mischievous look in her eyes. "Rose," he said happily. She laughed and hugged him.

"Wanted to see all the action myself," she said. "Plus, English over there isn't the greatest distraction."

"Did he keep his hands off?" The Doctor asked lightly. She pulled away from his hug and turned to Van Statten, smiling coyly.

"Right, so, what're we here for?" She asked innocently.

"You're here to see my Metaltron," Van Statten said simply.

"Metaltron?" The Doctor asked in disbelief. "That's not even a real thing!"

"I thought of it myself," Van Statten said dismissively. "Although...I'd much prefer to find out its real name. Go ahead, Doctor. Take your cat burglar and your greater knowledge and impress me.

The Doctor gave him a sarcastic smile before reaching for Rose's hand. They walked together into the cell, and the door shut quietly behind them.

"Guess we're the next living specimens," Rose joked quietly. The Doctor squeezed her hand, wishing he could see her face through the darkness.

"Look, I'm sorry about this," the Doctor called, pulling Rose further in. "Mr. Van Statten might think he's clever, but never mind him. I'm here to help."

"Me too," Rose added.

"I'm called the Doctor, and she's-" the Doctor began, but a cold, metal voice made the words stick to his throat.

"Doc-tor?"

The Doctor recoiled, yanking his hand out of Rose's. "Impossible," he choked out.

"The Doc-tor?"

"Doctor!" Rose shouted, reaching for him through the darkness.

The lights began to flicker until they came on, and Rose whipped around to see what the Metaltron was.

"Ex-ter-minate! Ex-ter-minate!" the Metaltron screamed, his words chopped up.

"Rose!"

She felt him grab her hand, and then she was yanked forward. He pushed her against the door, covering her with his body as he pounded.

"Let us out!" He screamed. "You've got to let us out!"

She wrapped her arms tightly around the Doctor, terrified.

"Ex-ter-minate!"

"Doctor!" Rose screamed. The metal creature was waving its two limb-like things, but nothing was happening. She clutched him tighter and he pounded on the door stronger. He shifted his body, trying his hardest to protect her.

"You are an en-emy of the Da-leks!" the Metaltron shouted. "You must be destroyed."

The Doctor froze, and moved away from the door. He held Rose behind him, making sure he could still feel her to know she was there. He stared at the gun of the Metaltron, and a choked sigh of relief escaped his lips.

"It's not working!" The Doctor announced giddily. He began to laugh. Rose backed away slightly, alarmed at how insane he sounded. She leaned against the wall and the Doctor stepped forward.

"Doctor?" Rose said quietly.

"Fantastic!" He spat. The smile dropped from his face, and he grew dark. "Oh, fantastic! Powerless. Look at you! The great space dust bin! How does it feel?!"

The Doctor stepped towards the Metaltron, who recoiled. In the same cold, detached metal voice, the creature screamed, "Keep back!"

"Doctor," Rose choked, but he didn't seem to hear her.

"What for?!" The Doctor yelled, running towards the metal creature. "What are you going to do to me?"

He began to circle the creature, taunting it. Rose watched the Doctor, horrified, but frozen to the spot. "Because if you can't kill, what are you good for, _Dalek_? What's the point of you? You're nothing! What are you here for? Why the hell are you here?!"

The Doctor stared back at the front of the Dalek, demanding answers. "I'm waiting for or-ders," the Dalek said.

"What does that mean?" The Doctor yelled.

"I am a sol-dier. I was bred to re-ceive or-ders."

The Doctor threw his head back and let out a short, rude laugh. "Well. They're never gonna come! Your race is dead! You all burned, all of you. Ten million ships on fire. The entire Dalekrace, wiped out in one second!"

"You lie," the Dalek screeched.

"I watched it happen!" the Doctor roared. He hit his own chest, taunting the Dalek further. "I made it happen!"

Rose recoiled, stunned. "The war?"

But he still wasn't hearing her. He stared coldly at the Dalek, until the metal creature finally spoke. "You destroyed us?"

The Doctor straightened, and took a step away from the Dalek. He continued walking back, and his hand began to search for Rose's. She started to step forward, but then the Doctor spoke. "I had no other choice."

The Doctor dropped his hand and Rose pressed herself against the wall again. She wasn't sure she wanted to be near the suddenly felt as if he was a stranger.

"And what of the Time Lords?" The Dalek asked.

The Doctor stiffened. Rose could see his shoulders tense, and she watched his hand clench into a fist. "Dead. They're all dead. They burnt with you. It was the end of the Last Great Time War. Everybody lost."

"And the coward survived," the Dalek sneered.

The Doctor barked out another cold laugh. "Oh, and I caught your signal! 'Help me', poor thing. But there is no one else coming because there is no one else left!"

The Dalek was quiet for a moment, and the Doctor took a deep breathe. Rose watched in shock, suddenly deathly afraid of the last child of Gallifrey.

"I am a-lone in the uni-verse?" the Dalek said weakly.

"Yep," the Doctor answered, emotionless.

"So are you," the Dalek hissed. "We are the same."

"He's not alone-" Rose tried to say, but the Doctor ran towards the Dalek, anger radiating around him.

"We are not the same," the Doctor shouted. "I'm not the one who..."

Rose watched silently as he backed away from the Dalek yet again. "No. Wait, maybe you're right. You've got a point, 'cause I know what to do. I know what should happen. I know what you deserve."

He stepped towards the control panel, his hand lingering over a lever. "I'm not a man of second chances," the Doctor said. He sounded as if he were about to cry. He grabbed the lever. "Exterminate."

"No!" Rose screamed, lunging forward as the Doctor pushed the lever down. The Dalek began to scream as it was electrocuted, and Rose screamed at the Doctor. "Stop it! You're going to kill it!"

"Have pity!" The creature begged.

"Why should I?!" The Doctor snarled. "You never did." He pushed the lever down further and the Dalek screamed louder.

"Doctor, stop it!" Rose screamed. He whipped around, startled.

"Rose?" He whispered, suddenly returning to reality. The door slid open and soldiers came rushing in. The Doctor reached for Rose, but they grabbed him before he could get to her. "Rose! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"

She hiccupped back a sob, and leaned against the wall. Her Doctor, the one man she could always rely on, had just turned into a monster. She slipped down the wall until she was sitting on the floor, and then she began to cry.

* * *

**A/N: A quick moment for my sincerest apologies. It has been AGES since I've updated, and I ame terribly, TERRIBLY sorry about it. Life has been wrecking havoc again. I was delayed in writing this chapter, and my lovely beta was delayed in editing it. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I hope this chapter was good enough to earn your forgiveness.**

**As my apology gift, I'm updating a lot of stories today. Keep an eye out for a new story, too.**

**Anyway! It's been too long! How are you, my lovelies? (:**

**Review! Follow! Favorite! Drop a review! (hint hint cough cough) (;**

**Yours,**

**Kat x**


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